The Ukrainian Information and Cyber War
By Dr. Chris Bronk, Gabriel Collins (J.D.), and Prof. Dan Wallach
| December 05, 2023
Information and cyber action have been important but ancillary components of the Ukraine war since its outbreak on February 24, 2022. We offer a set of observations:
• A form of cyber conflict has emerged in which Russia often attempts to aggres¬sively deny service or purloin information, while Ukraine and its allies often blunt the attacks;
• Communications security for Russian forces from the tactical- to theater-level has frequently failed, often with disastrous consequences, as signals intelligence information has been employed to target military command echelons;
• Unmanned aircraft have come to occupy a critical intelligence and air support function for Ukraine, although Russia is increasingly able to employ drones as well;
• Intelligence support from the West to Ukraine appears highly significant and useful, possibly substantially shaping Ukrainian strategy and tactics;
• The infrastructure and technical expertise of large tech firms such as Google, Microsoft, and SpaceX also helped Ukraine stay abreast of the Russian cyber threats; and
• Propaganda operations by Ukraine have had tremendous reach in Europe and continue to elicit support, while those of Russia have been largely inward-facing and designed to shore up support for the war among the Russian public.
We also consider what cyber tools and effects might be employed as the war continues.
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