Ukraine Prepares Cyber Emergency Plan for Potential Kyiv Fall in Case of Russian Invasion

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] According to the American political media outlet Politico on the 23rd (Korean time), Ukraine is preparing a cyber emergency plan in anticipation of a Russian invasion.

According to the outlet, the Ukrainian government is preparing emergency measures such as deleting servers in government buildings or transferring data in case Russia takes control of the capital, Kyiv.

Viktor Zora, Deputy Director of Ukraine's Special Communications and Information Protection Service, told Politico, "We have plans and scenarios ready." He added, "We do not want to think about the worst-case scenario of Kyiv being attacked, but in any case, relevant agencies will move sensitive data and equipment according to the prepared scenarios and install new information technology (IT) systems elsewhere."

After Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and the Donbas region fell to pro-Russian separatists, the Ukrainian government began consolidating regionally dispersed databases into the capital. This was due to the emerging threat that if Ukraine's government computer systems were left in the hands of Russia or rebel forces, cyberattacks targeting Kyiv could be launched.

If Ukraine's computer network were to fall entirely into Russian hands, there is a risk that not only confidential documents but also detailed information about Ukrainian citizens could be exposed.

Deputy Director Zora explained that if Russia hacks the passwords of Ukrainian government accounts during an invasion, the cyber teams within the relevant agencies have been instructed to quickly block access to those accounts. He also added that Ukraine has established multiple backup websites.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.