You couldn’t make this up!
Military wives’ photos have led Ukrainian hackers to sensitive personal information about Russian AF pilots accused of war crimes in Ukraine.
Stated a report by Inform Napalm, a Ukrainian volunteer intelligence website, ‘Cyber Resistance’ accessed the email account of Col. Sergey Atroshchenko, who is thought to have ordered a bombing of the theatre in Mariupol. The building was used as an air raid shelter at the time, & Ukraine regards the attack as a war crime.
While looking through the Colonel’s emails, hackers noted that his wife, Lilia Aleksandrovna Atroshchenko, liked sending “photo surprises” to her husband, including nudes, states Inform Napalm.
‘Surprise’ Photo Shoot
The hackers saw an opportunity &, pretending to be someone from her husband’s regiment, tricked Lilia into producing another “surprise” for her husband – & his men.
She agreed to a “patriotic photoshoot” at an airfield & convinced 11 other wives to join her while wearing their husbands’ ceremonial uniform jackets, complete with full decorations. They did a group picture & some close-ups.
“Lilia did very well,” Inform Napalm reported, noting that the wives’ pilot husbands are “normally very careful with their own photos & try to keep a low profile on social media.”
Sensitive Information
The photoshoot allowed hackers to procure sensitive information about Col. Atroshchenko & his regiment, including their home addresses, passports, & salaries. Their performance evaluations, officer records, & operational planning documents were also revealed.
It added that the information obtained by the Ukrainian hackers is being submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague so an arrest warrant can be issued against Col. Atroshchenko & his team.
Col. Atroshchenko is the commander of the 960th Assault Aviation Regiment, based in occupied Crimea. The unit is thought to have carried out 100s of attacks against targets in Ukraine, including civilian installations.
