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Why hasn't Russia waged an all-out cyberwar against Ukraine?

Is Russia holding off on cyberwarfare while it has troops in Ukraine, or are cyberattacks failing to land thanks to vast international efforts to protect the country?

By Matthew Sparkes

10 March 2022

TOPSHOT - Residents evacuate the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv, on March 10, 2022. - Russian forces on March 10, 2022 rolled their armoured vehicles up to the northeastern edge of Kyiv, edging closer in their attempts to encircle the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv's northwest suburbs such as Irpin and Bucha have been enduring shellfire and bombardments for more than a week, prompting a mass evacuation effort. (Photo by Aris Messinis / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)

People leaving the city of Irpin, Ukraine, on 10 March

AFP

As Russian forces built up near the Ukraine border at the start of this year, tensions grew about whether or not an invasion would occur. But at the same time, there were numerous digital incursions over the border, as cyberattacks affected key Ukrainian infrastructure.

In the middle of January, the so-called WhisperGate attack took down around 70 Ukrainian government websites, and on 15 February a cyberattack briefly disrupted two Ukrainian state-owned banks. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre said just …

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