Ukraine is hit by 'massive' cyberattack targeting the government and banks just hours after Boris Johnson pledged to send more British weapons and Putin boasted of his army's 'readiness'
Ukrainian government and banks hit in 'massive' cyber attack, similar to attack last week blamed on Russia
Comes amid fear of Russian invasion, with analysts warning cyberattacks would likely be the first phase
Ukraine was today placed on a war footing with state of emergency declared across the country, 200,000 military reservists called up, border areas restricted and citizens given the right to arm themselves
Boris Johnson pledged more British weapons to help defend Ukraine, and tougher sanctions if Russia attacks
Put earlier gave sabre-rattling speech to troops, praising their 'readiness' and boasting of 'advanced' weapons
Ukraine has been hit by a 'massive' cyberattack targeting its government and banks, just hours after a nationwide state of emergency was declared in preparation for a feared Russian invasion.
The websites of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service, and Cabinet of Ministers were all out of action Wednesday afternoon. Bomb threats were also phoned in to several government buildings, thought to be part of a psychological pressure campaign by Moscow.
Deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov said banks were also targeted in a 'massive' distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack - which uses computer networks to bombard websites with information until they crash - in what analysts have warned would likely be the first stage of a Russian attack.
It came just hours after the whole country was placed on a war footing: A state of emergency was declared, 200,000 military reservists called up, border zones were restricted and three million Ukrainians told to leave Russia, with Kiev acknowledging for the first time that an attack could now take place anywhere, at any time.
As the noose tightened, Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to send more weapons to help Ukraine defend itself against what the US has warned will be an all-out Russian assault. Johnson also promised more and tougher sanctions against Russia if Putin escalates further.
Earlier in the day, Vladimir Putin had given a sabre-rattling address to his troops to mark Defender of the Fatherland Day, praising their 'battle readiness' while saying he is assured that they will fight to defend Russian security interests - which he called 'non-negotiable'. Russia also evacuated staff from its Kiev embassy.
Ukraine's security agency claimed 45,000 plastic body bags have now been ordered to the Russian frontlines, giving the first hint of the amount lives Putin is willing to sacrifice to get what he wants - after Joe Biden said supplies of blood for transfusions have also been brought in.
Defence Secretary Liz Truss warned that Putin is 'hell-bent' on a full-scale invasion of Ukraine with a direct attack on the capital of Kiev 'highly likely' to be in his plans. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison predicted the attack is 'likely to occur within the next 24 hours'.
Meanwhile the EU imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Russia targeting the defence minister, heads of the armed forces, all 351 members of its parliament, and prominent propagandists. It comes after the US and UK announced their own measures on Tuesday, targeting oligarchs and banks.
Russia hit back, saying 'there should be no doubt' that new US sanctions would be met with a 'strong response' which would be 'well-calibrated and sensitive for the American side' - while warning it is 'capable of minimising the damage' from American measures.
Biden had last night announced a first wave of US sanctions, warning he is ready with more if Russia escalates. He also ordered the deployment of more NATO troops to Europe - 800 soldiers to Italy, dozens of Apache helicopters to the Baltics and Poland, and raised the prospect of the alliance's first permanent base in eastern Europe.
Elsewhere today...
- Twitter accounts tracking Russia's military buildup were being temporarily blocked, apparently after being reported en-mass by Russian bots
- Fighting along the frontline between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels killed one Ukrainian soldier and wounded six others, with shells falling in villages close to the front
- Russia claimed to have foiled a terror attack against a church in occupied Crimea and arrested six Russian citizens it said were members of a banned 'right-wing' group, in what is feared to be another false flag
- Ukrainian troops along the frontline with separatists reported receiving text messages warning of a Russian attack and telling them to abandon their posts
- Satellite images and photos from the ground showed that Russia continues to move troops to the borders, including newly-arrived troops in Belarus, close to Kiev
- Denis Pushilin, leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said conscription of men in the region is gathering pace to counter 'Ukrainian threats' and he is sure of support from 'big Russia'
- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the General Assembly Wednesday that the world is 'facing a moment of peril' over Ukraine's crisis with Russia
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