November 27, 2023 at 01:25PM
Ukraine’s intelligence service claims to have hacked Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, ‘Rosaviatsia,’ and exposed problems in Russia’s aviation sector. The stolen documents reveal that Russian airlines are struggling with maintenance due to Western sanctions on spare parts and software updates. The data also shows a significant increase in accidents and technical failures in the Russian aviation sector. The Ukrainian government describes this cyberattack as a “complex special operation in cyberspace.” The legitimacy of these claims has not been confirmed by an independent source.
Based on the meeting notes, the Ukrainian intelligence service claims to have hacked Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, and obtained information indicating that Russia’s aviation sector is facing significant challenges. The cyberattack is seen as a notable case of state-level hacking openly acknowledged by Ukraine. Ukraine leaked the stolen data on a file-sharing site, but its authenticity could not be independently verified by BleepingComputer.
According to the alleged stolen documents, the highlights include:
– In January 2023, there were 185 accidents reported in Russian civil aviation, with a third of them being significant incidents, including 34 emergencies for the Sukhoi Superjet.
– A significant increase in Russian aircraft malfunctions from 50 in the first nine months of 2022 to 150 in the same period of 2023.
– Critical issues affecting Russian aviation include engines, landing gear, hydraulics, flaps, and software.
– Russia has outsourced maintenance to Iran, where work often lacks certification.
– By mid-2023, 70% of Russia’s 820 foreign-made civilian aircraft underwent uncertified maintenance using non-authentic parts, a significant increase from 10% in March 2022.
– Russia has resorted to “aviation cannibalism,” dismantling aircraft for parts, which has affected over 35% of its fleet by mid-2023.
– Grounding of most Soviet An-2 aircraft due to a halt in Polish engine supplies.
– Failures experienced by Russian Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer aircraft across various systems and components.
– Ukrainian government suggests that many failures, especially those related to engines, landing gear, and wing mechanics, are systemic in nature.
Ukraine attributes these issues to Western sanctions on spare parts and software updates, detention of Russian aircraft in foreign countries, and restricted access to necessary meteorological and other data for air navigation. However, it should be noted that the legitimacy of these claims has not been confirmed by BleepingComputer, and Rosaviatsia has been contacted for comment.