Severe cyber war around Ukraine, with consequences for the Netherlands
The magnitude of the gap between Ukraine and Russia could also translate into an unprecedented cyber war. Experts in advance that Europe must be more afraid of this than perhaps of a ground war.
According to cyber expert Ronald Prins, it is very likely that hackers will try to disable trained weapon systems and render the military device incapacitated. “That can be a command line, who can tell who has to go where. But completely destroying the communication is also possible.”
Practice Area
To better prepare countries, the EU recently set up a Cyber Rapid Response Team (CRRT) led by the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence. The team consists of cybersecurity experts from the Netherlands, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Croatia and Estonia.
The Lithuanian Deputy Minister of Defense The State and in Action will appear shortly. “We already have a lot of experience in Lithuania with Russian attacks, but we will have results on Ukraine also for western Europe.”
The Russians are using Ukraine and Georgia as training areas, Abukevicius says. “And if it goes well there, she’ll apply it to the rest of the world.”
Threatening messages
And that also has consequences for the Netherlands. Prins sees our country as one of the most vulnerable countries in the world. “We are the most digital country in the world. So what is not all vulnerable here: payment traffic, water management, drinking water, keeping your feet dry, the trains, everything related to transport and working from home. If junctions have been shut down, we can no longer work from home. “
How active Russia is already in Ukraine implementation ministries in Kiev experienced on January 14: sites were shut down and threatening messages were sent. Kiev links the attacks to Russia. “This is just the beginning,” Abukevicius says. The hackers affiliated with the Russian government regularly carry out cyber attacks in the West against government institutions, among other things.
Bob Deen, Eastern Europe expert from the Clingendael Institute, warned on Sunday in News hour: “More than a ground war in Ukraine, Europe must fear further destabilization in Ukraine.