Ukraine intelligence chief’s Birthday gift: Ukraine cyberattack disrupts Russian military logistics

Ukraine’s military intelligence has conducted a successful cyberattack against a critical service provider for Russian Railways, which coincided with the 39th birthday of Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate. 

RegionTransService LLC plays a vital role in Russia’s railway infrastructure, managing the complete lifecycle of freight cars from manufacturing registration through maintenance to disposal.

The company’s role in facilitating military cargo transportation makes it a strategically significant target in the ongoing war.

The operation on 4 January resulted in the destruction of 78 servers and 211 workstations, including their backup systems, according to NV and Hromadske sources within the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR).

The attack follows a similar operation against Russia’s oil sector from 30 December 2024 to 1 January 2025, which targeted Lukoil’s resources. Both companies are involved in supporting Russian military operations, according to the intelligence sources.

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, both Ukraine and Russia have escalated cyberattacks. Russia typically targets Ukrainian government, critical infrastructure, and military systems to spread disinformation, sow chaos, and weaken international solidarity with Ukraine. In retaliation, Ukrainian cyber units focus on disrupting Russian military logistics and gathering intelligence.

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