Amid Russian Invasion, Internet In Ukraine Disrupted; Could Affect Mobilization Of Civilian Defence Groups: Report

Meanwhile, the Russian forces captured the southeastern Ukrainian city of Melitopol on Saturday, Russia's Interfax news agency reported, as Moscow continued the coordinated launch of cruise missile and artillery strikes on several cities, including the capital Kyiv.

London: As Russian forces pound Ukraine for the third day, the internet connectivity in the war-torn country has been badly affected, reported news agency Reuters on Saturday. Quoting internet blockage observatory NetBlocks, the report said that internet services were particularly affected in the southern and eastern parts of the country where fighting has been heaviest. Meanwhile, the Russian forces captured the southeastern Ukrainian city of Melitopol on Saturday, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported, as Moscow continued the coordinated launch of cruise missile and artillery strikes on several cities, including the capital Kyiv.

Connectivity to Ukraine’s main internet provider– GigaTrans– dropped to below 20 per cent of normal levels before returning to higher levels in the early hours of Friday morning, NetBlocks said. Disruptions to Ukraine’s telecommunications networks could affect civilian defence groups that have been mobilising to defend their cities, the internet blockage observatory said.

“We currently observe national connectivity at 87 per cent of ordinary levels, a figure that reflects service disruptions as well as population flight and the shuttering of homes and businesses since the morning of the 24th,” Alp Toker, director of NetBlocks, told Reuters.

“While there is no nation-scale blackout, little is being heard from the worst affected regions, and for others there’s an ever-present fear that connectivity could worsen at any moment, cutting off friends and family,” Toker added

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials released more information about an alleged Belarusian cyberespionage operation they said was targeting personal email accounts belonging to Kyiv’s forces.

In a Facebook post, Ukraine’s Computer Emergency Response Team said the hackers were targeting not just Ukrainians but also Poles, Russians, and Belarusians as well – including several Belarusian media organisations.

Reuters sai that emails sent by the agency to the Belarusian embassy in London were not returned.