Ukraine’s national telecommunications provider, Ukrtelecom, has suffered from a significant cyberattack that led to a severe disruption to internet connectivity in the region. Ukrtelecom provides fixed internet for a large portion of Ukraine’s geographical area. The telecom confirmed the incident yesterday and reported that it is gradually restoring connectivity after mitigating the attack. Ukrtelecom temporarily restricted access to private users and businesses immediately following the attack to ensure that internet services to critical infrastructure and armed forces was not hindered or interrupted. Therefore, citizens and private businesses experienced an internet outage as Ukrtelecom worked to combat the attack.

The State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP) blamed the attack on Russian forces. Several cities lost connectivity for the duration of the attack, including Beryansk and Melitopol. Netblocks, a global internet monitor, reported that the outage was the most severe disruption to internet service in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began last month. Connectivity dropped to 13% of pre-war levels during the attack and in its aftermath.

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