Russian government websites are facing 'unprecedented' wave of cyberattacks

A computer hacker.
(Image credit: Kacper Pempel/Reuters)

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.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.