Anonymous claims to have attacked Russia’s Central Bank – and is threatening to unleash 35,000 ‘secret agreements’ in the next 48 hours.
The hackers declared cyberwar on Russia after Vladimir Putin sent troops to invade Ukraine exactly one month ago today.
So far, the group has claimed responsibility for 2,500 attacks on ‘Russian & Belarusian gov’t, state media outlets, banks, hospitals, airports [and] companies’.
On Wednesday evening, they posted an image of a smiling mask on Twitter, alongside the message: ‘JUST IN: The #Anonymous collective has hacked the Central Bank of Russia.
‘More than 35,000 files will be released within 48 hours with secret agreements. #OpRussia’.
No proof has been offered of the group’s latest hack on the bank, which is in charge of protecting Russia’s currency, the ruble.
But it comes after central bank head Elvira Nabiullina acknowledged the Russian economy was in an ‘extreme’ situation.
In a video, she said: ‘We all very much would have liked this not to have happened.’
Oligarchs like Oleg Deripaska and Mikhail Fridman have called for an end to the bloodshed as their fortunes are hit by sanctions.
Earlier in March, Anonymous hacked Russian streaming services to broadcast footage of the front line of the war, as troops are accused of targeting hospitals and children in devastating onslaughts.
Speaking to directly to Putin, the hackers have said: ‘Your regime has no respect for human rights or the self determination of your neighbors.’
Warning their work is not yet done, they have said ‘your guess is as good as ours’ in reference to what might happen next.
In a follow-up tweet last night, they vowed to target companies that continue to operate in Russia.
