Hacker warning message: Worse days await you

If the "traditional" war has not yet been declared, the cyber war between Ukraine and Russia has been simmering for years now, and the next attack on Kiev institutions warns of many times worse days for Ukrainians.

"The official website of the Ministry of Education and Science has been temporarily closed due to the global attack that took place on the night of January 13-14," a government statement said.

The websites of other ministries, including that of Security, Foreign Affairs and Agricultural Policy, were also found inaccessible. The websites of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the President's are functioning regularly. Messages in Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian appeared in some of the attached addresses.

"Ukrainians! All your personal data is uploaded to the public network. All data on your computer is deleted and will not be recovered. All information about you has been made public, you should be afraid and expect the worst. This you it is done for your past, present and future ", it is said in the message left by the hackers.

Ukraine has in the past accused Russia of organizing serious cyber attacks, as relations between the two neighbors have deteriorated since the 2014 conflict.

In recent months, Ukraine and its allies in the US and Europe have denounced how Russia is preparing an invasion largely after the relocation of 100,000 troops near the border. Moscow denies such plans, while a Kremlin spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the cyber attack.

The United States and its allies had previously denounced the possibility that Moscow might decide to launch hacker attacks to put pressure on Ukraine. Russia denies using cyber weapons in an offensive manner, but President Vladimir Putin has confirmed the existence of "patriotic hackers" operating independently of the government.