Aeroflot cyberattack may be “unprecedented military move” — military expert

Defense Express military expert Ivan Kyrychevskyi shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“First of all, I wouldn’t focus on the psychological effect here; I would emphasize a very tangible impact. I suspect that those who planned this attack were not particularly concerned with the Russian citizens, or rather, subjects, since they can hardly be called citizens, who still use these Western innovations like airplanes for travel. There could have been a clear military objective behind it. After all, if the Russians targeted our (Ukrainian - ed.) civil aviation infrastructure thinking it might also support military aviation flights, it seems likely that they have used this infrastructure in this way themselves,” he explained.

Ivan Kyrychevskyi noted that Aeroflot could have served as a dual-purpose facility.

“For example, it might have been used not only to transport ordinary Russian subjects but also high-ranking officials and to directly support military aviation operations in the war against Ukraine. So, this isn’t just about causing everyday inconveniences to Russians under the motto ‘If you want to wage war, go on foot.’ It could mean that Russian aviation may now literally have to ‘go on foot.’ This represents a direct military impact. Interestingly, Western sources have reported that since 2022, Russians may have begun using artificial intelligence to plan cyberattacks against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure,” he added.

A military expert believes that if the Russians want to fight, they should do so on foot.

“There is a rule: chaos cannot be cybernetized. Since the Russians have chaos in their heads, their cyberattacks have been unsuccessful. However, it seems that those who use modern technologies to plan such operations do not suffer from such chaos. As a result, Russian cyberattack methods could even be turned against them later, like the saying goes: they came at us with these tactics, and now they’re getting it back. Perhaps we are witnessing something truly unprecedented in military affairs. Even if it’s not officially recognized as a military action and remains unofficially qualified, let it be. So, if the Russians want to fight, they’ll have to do so on foot,” Ivan Kyrychevskyi added.

• On July 28, Russia’s largest airline, Aeroflot, announced a failure in its information systems that led to the cancellation of flights to multiple cities. Hacker groups Silent Crow and Cyber Partisans BY claimed responsibility for the attack. In response, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office opened a criminal case for illegal access to computer information.
• On Tuesday, July 29, the airline once again canceled more than 50 flights to and from Moscow.