As Russian troops advance in Ukraine the internet is disrupted

As Russian troops advance in Ukraine, the internet is disrupted. 

LONDON: Russian invasion has severely impacted internet connectivity in Ukraine, especially in southern and eastern regions where fighting has been the fiercest, internet blockage observatory NetBlocks said on Saturday.

On Saturday, Russian forces captured Melitopol in southeastern Ukraine. In addition, Moscow launched coordinated cruise missile and artillery strikes on several cities, including Kyiv. 

Netblocks said that connectivity to GigaTrans, Ukraine’s leading internet provider, dropped to less than 20% of normal levels in the early hours of Friday morning.

“We currently observe national connectivity at 87% of ordinary levels, a figure that reflects service disruptions as well as population flight and the shuttering of homes and businesses since the morning of the 24th,” Alp Toker, director of NetBlocks, told Reuters.

“While there is no nation-scale blackout, little is being heard from the worst affected regions, and for others, there’s an ever-present fear that connectivity could worsen at any moment, cutting off friends and family,” Toker said.

He says disruptions to Ukraine’s telecommunications networks could affect civilian defense groups mobilizing to defend their cities.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials released more information about an alleged Belarusian cyberespionage operation that targeted Kyiv’s forces’ email accounts.

Ukraine’s Computer Emergency Response Team said the hackers were targeting Ukrainians and Poles, Russians, and Belarusians, including several Belarusian media outlets.