A cyber attack has hit the websites of Ukrainian government agencies and major banks, authorities said on Tuesday.
The attack, the latest of several hacking operations aimed at Ukraine, came after weeks of escalating fears that Russia might invade the country.
Moscow sent signals on Tuesday that it might be pulling back from the brink of an invasion, but western powers have demanded proof.
At least 10 Ukrainian websites stopped working due to distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, including those of the Defence Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Culture Ministry and Ukraine’s two largest state banks.
Customers at Privatbank and Sberbank reported problems with online payments and banking apps.
“There is no threat to depositors’ funds,” said the Ukrainian Information Ministry’s State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection.
Victor Zhora, the deputy head of the agency, confirmed the cyber attack.
The ministry suggested Moscow could be behind Tuesday’s incident without providing details.
“It is possible that the aggressor resorted to tactics of petty mischief because his aggressive plans aren’t working overall,” the ministry said.
In mid-January, Ukraine accused Russia of being behind a cyber attack that temporarily disabled about 70 government websites simultaneously.
During last month’s attack, a posted announcement said Ukrainians should “be afraid and expect the worst”.
Russia launched one of the most devastating cyber attacks ever on Ukraine in 2017 with the NotPetya virus, causing more than $10 billion in damage worldwide.
The virus, also disguised as ransomware, was a so-called wiper that scrubbed entire networks.
The US has accused Moscow of preparing to invade Ukraine and has said cyber security remains a pivotal concern as tension continues to simmer in the region.
