CCP Staged Cyberattack on Ukraine Before Russia’s Invasion

According to The Times on Apr 1st, the intelligence memos revealed that CCP launched a flurry of cyberattacks on Ukraine’s military and nuclear infrastructure days before Russia’s invasion.

The SBU, Ukraine’s security service, said CCP’s attacks, which could be distinguished by the trademark tools and methods of cyberwarfare unit of the People’s Liberation Army, were designed to steal data and explore ways to shut down or disrupt vital defense and civilian infrastructure. They also sought to infiltrate targets ranging from border defense forces to the national bank and railway authority.

Judging from the perspective of timing, shortly after the joint statement issued by Xi Jinping and Putin, saying the bonds between the two countries had no limits, there was a surge in cyberattacks on Ukraine’s networks from PLA hackers which peaked on Feb 23rd, the day before Russian aggression.

Analysts pointed out the coincidence in time demonstrated the complicity between Russia and CCP to some extent, which galvanized the western countries’ reassessment of the essence of Sino-Russian relations, even probing their willingness to support one another in military operations, the kinds of support the CCP is providing to Russia and if these supports would make an impact on the duration of the war, etc.