News Feed

Ukrainian hackers claim responsibility for cyberattack on Russian banks, payment system

2 min read
Ukrainian hackers claim responsibility for cyberattack on Russian banks, payment system
A Tinkoff Bank JSC bank card with the Mir payment system logo in Riga, Latvia, on Nov. 22, 2022. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Ukraine's IT Army, a volunteer cyberwarfare group, said it had targeted Russian banks and Russia's Mir payment system on June 20, rendering a range of services "non-functional."

The Mir payment system was instituted following Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 after international sanctions began to limit the usage of international cards.

Its usage increased after the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the subsequent withdrawal of the major card issuers Visa and Mastercard from Russia.

"When we promised yesterday to take down the enemy banking system, those weren't empty words," the IT Army said in a post on Telegram.

According to the group, the attack disconnected the Mir payment system and affected banks, including VTB, Alfa-Bank, Gazprombank, Sberbank, "and many smaller services."

"This is possibly the largest DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attack in history," the group said.

According to the Russian state-controlled newspaper Vedomosti, reports that Mir had stopped working emerged at around 10 a.m. local time.

The DDoS attack "affected the services of banks and third-party companies" and reached its peak at around 2 p.m. local time, before being repelled, Vedomosti said.

A previous attack by the IT Army disrupted the fare payment system in Moscow and Kazan public transport.

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv to get priority on air defense missiles from US, new Patriot from Romania
Key developments on June 20: * White House confirms Ukraine to get priority on air defense missile deliveries * Romania to send Patriot defense system to Ukraine * Single Ukrainian Magura drone hit 4 Russian patrol boats at once, Kyiv claims * Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblast kill 4, injure 4,…
Article image
News Feed
Video

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, war has become a daily reality for thousands of Ukrainian children. Some Ukrainian military units, such as the Azov Brigade, offer boot camps for teenagers to teach them the basics of self-defense, first aid, dry firing, and other survival skills — helping them prepare for both the realities of today and the uncertainties of the future.

Show More