Ukraine says hacked Russian defense ministry, unearthed trove of classified documents

Ukraine’s defense intelligence said on Monday its cyber specialists hacked the Russian defense ministry, gaining access to its servers and obtaining classified documents and information, which exposed the ministry’s structure and revealed information about key leaders.

The Ukrainian defense ministry’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) said on Telegram: “The Ukrainian intelligence service now possesses software for information protection and encryption, previously used by the Russian defense ministry, as well as a trove of classified official documents belonging to the Russian ministry of war.”

The documents included “orders, reports, directives, reports, and other documents circulated among more than 2,000 structural units of the Russian defense ministry.”

The Ukrainian GUR said the classified information it acquired allowed Kyiv to uncover the complete structure of the Russian defense ministry and its branches.

It added: “Analysis of the obtained data has also helped identify the generals, other high-ranking officials of the Russian defense ministry’s structural units, as well as deputies, assistants, and specialists – all those who used the electronic document circulation software called ‘Bureaucrat’.”

The Ukrainian intelligence service singled out Russian deputy defense minister Timur Vadimovich Ivanov and said it obtained official documents from him, adding that he “played an important role in the success of the cyberattack.”

The Russian defense ministry did not comment on the Ukrainian claim.

Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia nearly two years ago, both sides have suffered major cyberattacks. Moscow typically denies being behind cyberattacks against Kyiv.