“Expect the worst”: Ukraine suffers a cyberattack, Russia mobilizes more troops

Ukraine was hit on Friday by a serious cyber attack that warned its citizens that “they will expect the worstwhile Russia, which has massed more than 100,000 troops on its neighbor’s border, released television footage showing more troops deploying in a drill.

The events came after no progress was made in meetings between Russia and Western states, who fear Moscow could launch another offensive against a country it invaded in 2014.

“The drumbeat of war is sounding loud”, said a senior American diplomat.

Russia denies plans to attack Ukraine but says it could take unspecified military action unless demands are met, including the NATO alliance’s promise never to admit Kiev.

Russia He said troops in the far east would practice deploying to remote military sites for exercises as part of an inspection. Defense Ministry footage released by the RIA news agency showed numerous armored vehicles and other military equipment being loaded onto trains in the Eastern Military District.

“This is likely to be a cover for units moving into Ukraine.said Rob Lee, a military analyst and fellow at the US-based Foreign Policy Research Institute.

The moves indicated that Russia has no intention of reducing tensions over Ukraine, as he used his troop buildup to force the West to the negotiating table and press with demands for “security guarantees”, whose key elements have been described by the United States as less than optimal.

Ukrainian authorities were investigating a major cyberattack, which hit government agencies, including the Foreign Ministry, the cabinet of ministers, and the defense and security council.

“Ukrainians! All your personal data was uploaded to the public network. All data on the computer is destroyed, it is impossible to restore it”, read a message visible on hacked government websites, written in Ukrainian, Russian and Polish.

“All information about you has been made public, be afraid and expect the worst. This is for your past, present and future”.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman told Reuters it was too early to say who might be behind the attack, but said Russia had been behind similar attacks in the past.

Russia He did not immediately comment, but has previously denied being behind the cyberattacks against Ukraine.

The European Union’s top diplomat condemned the attack and said the EU’s political and security committee and electronic technology units would meet to see how to respond and help Kiev.

“We will mobilize all our resources to help Ukraine deal with this cyber attack. Unfortunately we knew it could happenJosep Borrell told reporters at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in the western French city of Brest.

U.S warned on Thursday that the threat of a Russian military invasion was high. Russia has always denied it.

Moscow said dialogue was continuing but was reaching an impasse as it tried to persuade the West to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and roll back decades of alliance expansion in Europe.