Russian government websites are facing an "unprecedented" number of hacking attacks that are at least twice as powerful as previous incidents, the country's Ministry of Digital Development and Communications said.
The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry website was hacked on Wednesday evening, with a link added that promised "full information about the war in Ukraine" and a phone number for Russian troops to call if they want to defect. Several dozen Russian judicial websites were also hacked on Wednesday, with disparaging comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin added to the pages.
The Russian Ministry of Culture, Federal Penitentiary Service, public services portal Gosuslugi, and internet regulator Roskomnadzor have all been hacked since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. The Washington Post reports that during earlier hacks of government websites, Russia responded by prohibiting access to users in other countries.