Victory Chronicles-DAY 833

According to a source in the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), the DIU has conducted powerful Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks on Russian state institutions and large companies.

Ukrainian cyber specialists have targeted a number of important Russian services, effectively paralyzing the work of several government agencies and private companies. The official report from the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media of Russia attributes the interruptions to a “failure of the main communication network.” However, sources from Ukrayinska Pravda suggest that the real reason is a large-scale DDoS attack carried out by cyber specialists from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. 

By 11:00 a.m. on June 5, access to government service websites and several ministries’ services, including defense, finance, interior, justice, industry and energy, information technology and communications, and emergency situations, had been lost. The website and services of the Federal Tax Service of Russia were also blocked.

According to The New York Times, more than 210,000 buildings have been damaged in Ukraine due to Russia’s war. About half of these damaged buildings are located in Donbas. The destruction scale is described as greater than if every building in Manhattan was leveled four times. Parts of Ukraine, which are hundreds of kilometers apart, resemble the aftermath of World War II bombings in Dresden or London, or the Gaza Strip after six months of bombardment. In addition to buildings, more than 900 schools, hospitals, churches, and other institutions have been damaged or destroyed, despite the fact that these structures are supposed to be protected under the Geneva Convention.

Rescuers are currently extinguishing five forest fires, which arose as a result of enemy aggression and covered a total area of over 3,300 hectares in Kharkiv Oblast. Fire brigades of forestry enterprises, rescuers of the State Emergency Service, fire and special equipment are involved in eliminating the fires. A total of 104 people and 32 units of equipment are involved, including 72 rescuers and 17 units of fire and rescue equipment from the SES. Firefighters have localized 4 out of 5 fires. The SES specialists are forced to work with the risk to their lives from constant shelling, mine detonations and unexploded ordnance.

The National Guard of Ukraine released a video of how a battalion group together with fighters from the 58th Separate Mechanized Brigade destroyed Russian occupiers’ equipment during a massive assault in the Donetsk sector.

Russia is conducting a wide-scale hybrid warfare campaign targeting NATO states in tandem with Russian efforts to augment its conventional military capabilities in preparation for a potential conflict with NATO. 

Bloomberg reported on June 3 that Norwegian Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen stated that NATO has a window of two to three years to rebuild its forces and stocks before Russia has rebuilt its own ability to conduct a conventional attack, presumably against NATO.

Kristoffersen stated that this expedited time frame is due to Russia’s current elevated defense industrial base (DIB) output. Western officials also continue to highlight Russia’s current engagement in hybrid warfare activities across Europe. The Financial Times (FT) reported on June 4 that Western governments are trying to formulate a response to the growing series of Russian-backed sabotage attempts on military bases and civilian infrastructure in Europe.

FT reported that an unspecified Western defense advisor stated that Russia has a “highly developed lexicon” for hybrid warfare, including information and psychological operations and sabotage. The defense advisor noted that Russia is learning from and adapting its hybrid warfare operations, stating that Russia is “constantly observing” the West’s reactions to these hybrid warfare operations and “testing to see which of [Russia’s] actions work.”

FT reported that Russia has resorted to using proxies, such as operatives from criminal gangs, to conduct the sabotage attacks after European governments expelled hundreds of Russian diplomats and spies. NATO and its member states have repeatedly warned about intensifying Russian hybrid operations on NATO member territory.

Mykyta Svyrydov, a 27-year-old senior fighter, with the call sign Oscar, died on February 4, 2024, as a result of injuries. On January 2, near the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, while performing a combat mission, he received serious burns as a result of an MTLB explosion on an enemy mine.

Mykyta Serhiyovych was born in Pavlohrad, Dnipro Oblast. Since childhood he lived in the village of Mykolaivka in his native region. He finished school there. In 2012-2016, he studied at the Pavlohrad Professional College of NTU “Dnipro Polytechnic”. He was an underground electrician by profession. He worked at the Dniprovska mine.

In 2022, the man joined the ranks of the defenders. Mykyta served in the National Guard of Ukraine. He was an anti-aircraft gunner of the 3rd Brigade of Operational Purpose “Spartan” (military unit 3017). He fought at the Kharkiv, Bakhmut and Zaporizhzhia directions.

“Kind, sensitive, brave, loving. He always tried to help, did not stand aside,” said the mother of the deceased, Olha Leonidivna. The National Guard was buried on the Walk of Fame at Pavlohrad Cemetery. The defender is survived by his parents and sister.

*Mykyta’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

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