“I Need Ammunition, Not a Ride”: The Ukrainian Cyber War
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17231/comsoc.42(2022).4021Keywords:
cyberwar, online platforms, communication, speech act, securitization, activism, UkraineAbstract
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has shown that cyberwarfare is integral to modern military strategies. Although the Russian army has developed cyber capabilities and capacities over the years, Ukraine has quickly created a new and innovative cyber defence that includes public and private actors. Using online communication platforms to reach out to populations, internally and externally, has been instrumental for military success. Inventive thinking has enabled the actors to utilise the online space and develop new computing tactics to defend the country. The intense online presence of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stands in clear contrast to Russian President Putin. President Zelenskyy is mastering online communication and is speaking directly to the people. Because of his constant use of virtual communication platforms, new public and private resistance movements have formed based on civic activism and a defiant stance against Russian aggression. Various non-governmental groups of hackers, hacktivists and activists have created a structure of resistance, where each has taken on a role in a nodal system depending on skills and engagement levels. This article will focus on how the Ukrainian leadership has been able to carry out a successful speech act that has activated numerous online users internally and externally. This speech act has enabled a new form of online civic activism where online actors fight with the military forces — but mostly without being employed by the state. Within the first 40 days, this activism has proven beneficial to the existing military force to defend Ukraine. The article investigates Ukraine’s role in the David and Goliath fight and how Ukraine’s initiatives have helped develop its cyber defence. The research is based on secondary sources predominately based on grounded theory, where the data collected are critically compared with theoretical content. All data is theoretically sampled and analysed based on the established socio-political approaches deriving from discourse analysis. The timeframe for this research is the first 40 days of the conflict, starting on February 24 2022.
Downloads
References
Ahmad, J. (2020). ‘Hacking or not hacking… that’s the question’. Definitional challenges and hacking practices. MDX Library
Anderson, G., & Herr, K. (2007). Introduction. In G. Anderson & K. Herr (Eds.), Encyclopedia of activism and social justice (pp. 19–27). Sage. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412956215
Anonymous [@YourAnonNews]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Twitter. Retrieved March 27, 2022, from https://twitter.com/YourAnonNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Anonymous. [@YourAnonNews]. (2022, February 28). Translation: The food was great! Unfortunately, Putin spoiled our appetites by invading Ukraine. Stand up to your dictator, stop killing [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/YourAnonNews/status/1498341870774235138
Anonymous TV. [@YourAnonTV]. (2022, February 26). JUST IN: #Russian state TV channels have been hacked by #Anonymous to broadcast the truth about what happens in #Ukraine [Video attached] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/YourAnonTV/status/1497678663046905863?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1497678663046905863%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2022%2Ffeb%2F27%2Fanonymous-the-hacker-collectiv
Baynes, M. (2022, March 2). ‘Food was great! Unfortunately Putin spoiled our appetites by invading Ukraine’ - TripAdvisor disables Russian reviews. SkyNews. https://news.sky.com/story/food-was-great-unfortunately-putin-spoiled-our-appetites-by-invading-ukraine-tripadvisor-disables-russian-reviews-12555968
Braithwaite, S. (2022, February 26). Zelensky refuses US offer to evacuate, saying ‘I need ammunition, not a ride’. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/26/europe/ukraine-zelensky-evacuation-intl/index.html
Buncombe, A. (2022, March 18). How Ukrainian president Zelensky’s simple green t-shirt became an iconic message of defiance. The Independent. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/how-ukrainian-president-zelensky-s-simple-green-t-shirt-became-an-iconic-message-of-defiance/ar-AAVftJX
Burgess, M. (2022, February 27). Ukraine’s volunteer ‘IT army’ is hacking in uncharted territory. Wired. https://www.wired.co.uk/article/ukraine-it-army-russia-war-cyberattacks-ddos#:~:text=The%20country%20has%20enlisted%20thousands,the%20war%20effort%20against%20Russia.&text=Vladimir%20Putin’s%20attack%20on%20Ukraine,the%20country’s%20towns%20and%20cities
Burton, J. (2022, March 17). Zelensky lego figures released to raise money for Ukraine refugees. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/zelensky-lego-figure-charity-ukraine-refugees-1689010
Buzan, B., & Hansen, L. (2009). The evolution of international security studies. Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511817762
Buzan, B., Wæver, O., & de Wilde, J. (1998). Security. A new framework for analysis. Lynne Rienner. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781685853808
Castells, M. (1996). The rise of the network society, Vol. 1. The information age: Economy, society and culture. Blackwell.
Castells, M., & Kumar, M. (2014). A conversation with Manuel Castells. Berkeley Planning Journal, 27(1), 93–99. https://escholarship.org/content/qt2ns059h3/qt2ns059h3.pdf DOI: https://doi.org/10.5070/BP327124502
CBS/AP. (2022, March 18). Putin calls opponents “scum and traitors” as Moscow announces new crackdown on “false information”. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/putin-opponents-scum-traitors-repression/
Chayka, K. (2022, March 3). Watching the world’s “first TikTok war”. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/watching-the-worlds-first-tiktok-war
Clayton, J., & Dyer, J. (2022, March 5). Ukraine war: The TikToker spreading viral videos. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-60613331
CNN. (2022, February 26). Zelensky post video in the streets of Kyiv. Anderson Cooper 360. https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2022/02/26/zelensky-selfie-street-video-vpx.cnn
Coker, J. (2022, March 11). Anonymous claims to have leaked over 360,000 files from Russian Federal Agency. Infosecurity Magazine. https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/anonymous-leaked-files-russian/
Collier, J., Dong, S., & Arouzi, A. (2022, March 22). Hacktivists, new and veteran, target Russia with one of cyber’s oldest tools. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/hacktivists-new-veteran-target-russia-one-cybers-oldest-tools-rcna20652
Convention on cybercrime, November 23, 2001, https://rm.coe.int/1680081561
Council of Europe. (2022, March 27). Chart of signatures and ratifications of Treaty 185. https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list?module=signatures-by-treaty&treatynum=185
Deighton, K. (2022, March 2). Tripadvisor, Google Maps suspend reviews of some Russian listings. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/russia-ukraine-latest-news-2022-03-02/card/tripadvisor-google-maps-suspend-reviews-of-some-russian-listings-vM2no1PgGDmMkL2TSvPZ#:~:text=The%20suspensions%20were%20made%20in,off%20from%20other%20media%20platforms
Dunaway, J. L., & Graber, D. A. (2022). Mass media and American politics (11th ed.). Sage.
Fisher, M. (2022, February 24). Putin’s case for war, annotated. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/world/europe/putin-ukraine-speech.html
Freedland, J. (2022, March). A key reason Putin’s bloody invasion is faltering? He’s no match for Zelenskiy’s iPhone. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/25/churchill-iphone-volodymyr-zelenskiy-ukraine-west
Glover, N. (2011, October 9). Does security exist outside of the speech act? E-International Relations. https://www.e-ir.info/2011/10/09/does-security-exist-outside-of-the-speech-act/
Hamilton, I. A. (2022, March 3). Google and TripAdvisor disable restaurant reviews in Russia after they were flooded with protests against the Ukraine invasion. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/google-tripadvisor-disable-reviews-russia-ukraine-2022-3?r=US&IR=T
Hassan, R. (2008). The information society. Polity Press.
Hern, A. (2022, March 21). TikTok algorithm directs users to fake news about Ukraine war, study says. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/mar/21/tiktok-algorithm-directs-users-to-fake-news-about-ukraine-war-study-says
Hirst, K. K. (2018, December 10). Understanding mass media and mass communication. Thoughtco. https://www.thoughtco.com/mass-media-and-communication-4177301
Holmes, O. (2022, February). Putin’s massive table: Powerplay or paranoia? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/08/vladimir-putin-massive-table
Hough, P. (2018). Understanding global security. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315191164
Jewkes, Y. (2015). Media and crime. Sage.
Karagiannopoulos, V. (2018). Living with hacktivism: From conflict to symbiosis. Springer International Publishing AG. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71758-6
Kremling, J., & Parker, A. (2017). Cyberspace, cybersecurity, and cybercrime. Sage.
Lewis, K., Gray, K., & Meierhenrich, J. (2014). The structure of online activism. Sociological Science, 1, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.15195/v1.a1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15195/v1.a1
Li, X. (2013). Hacktivism and the first amendment: Drawing the line between cyber protests and crime. Harvard Journal of Law & Technology, 27(1), 302–323. http://jolt.law.harvard.edu/articles/pdf/v27/27HarvJLTech301.pdf
Ludwig, S., & de Ruyter, K. (2016). Decoding social media speak: Developing a speech act theory research agenda. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 33(2), 124–144. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-04-2015-1405 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-04-2015-1405
Lutkevich, B., & Bacon, M. (2021, May). What is hacktivism? Techtarget. https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/hacktivism
Maritime Industry News. (2022, March 1). Hackers rename Putin’s superyacht ‘FCKPTN’ in maritime data breach. https://marineindustrynews.co.uk/hackers-rename-putins-superyacht-fckptn-in-maritime-data-breach/
McGuinness, D. (2022, March 17). Ukraine’s Zelensky calls on Germany to tear down the Russian wall. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60777050
McQuail, D. (2010). McQuail’s mass communication theory (6nd ed.). Sage.
Milmo, D. (2022a, February 18). Amateur hackers warned against joining Ukraine’s ‘IT army’. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/18/amateur-hackers-warned-against-joining-ukraines-it-army
Milmo, D. (2022b, February 27). Anonymous: The hacker collective that has declared cyberwar on Russia. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/anonymous-the-hacker-collective-that-has-declared-cyberwar-on-russia
Mulvey, S. (2022, February 26). Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky: The comedian president who is rising to the moment. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59667938
Munk, T. (2015). Cyber-security in the European region: Anticipatory governance and practices [Doctoral dissertation, The University of Manchester]. The University of Manchester. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/cybersecurity-in-the-european-region-anticipatory-governance-and-practices(6658eec7-cc61-4c84-9054-ea40cf405ed9).html
Munk, T. (2018). Policing virtual spaces: Public and private online challenges in a legal perspective. In M. Den Boer (Ed.), Comparative policing from a legal perspective (pp. 228–254). EE publising. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781785369117.00020
Munk, T. (2022a). The rise of politically motivated cyber attacks. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003126676
Munk, T. (2022b, March 9). Onlinekrig: Rusland mod Ukraine - og verden. Jyllands Posten. https://jyllands-posten.dk/debat/kronik/ECE13800745/onlinekrig-rusland-mod-ukraine-og-resten-af-verden/
Myustee. (2022). Zelensky green tee shirt Ukraine. https://myustee.com/product/pkr-ukrainian-president-wearing-ukrainian-armed-forces-shirt/
Newman, L. A. (2022, March 3). Hacktivists stoke pandemonium amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. Wired. https://www.wired.com/story/hacktivists-pandemonium-russia-war-ukraine/
Newman, N., Dutton, W. H., & Blank, G. (2014). Social media and the news: Implications for the press and society. In M. Graham & W. H. Dutton (Eds.), Society and the internet (pp. 132–148). Oxford University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199661992.003.0009
O’Connor, M. (2022, February 24). Russia attack on Ukraine catastrophe for Europe, say Boris Johnson. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60504204
Parry, M. (2022, March 20). Watch live as Zelensky addresses Israel’s parliament in video call. The Independent. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/watch-live-zelensky-addresses-israel-161544575.html
Paul, K. (2022, March 20). TikTok was ‘just a dancing app’. Then the Ukraine war started. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/mar/19/tiktok-ukraine-russia-war-disinformation
Picclick. (2022). Zelensky green t-shirt tactical support Ukrainian shirt stand with Ukraine flag. https://picclick.com.au/zelensky-green-T-Shirt-Tactical-Shield-Stand-With-165382407015.html
Porche III, I. R., Paul, C., York, M., Serena, C. C., Sollinger, J. M., Axelband, E., Min, E. Y., & Held, B. J. (2013). Redefining information warfare boundaries for an army in a wireless world. Rand Corporation.
Rauer, V. (2006). Symbols in action: Willy Brandt’s Kneefall at the Warshaw Memorial. In J. C. Alexander, B. Giesen, & J. L. Mast (Eds.), Social performance: Symbolic action, cultural pragmatics, and ritual (pp. 257–282). Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511616839.009
Roth, A., & Borger, J. (2022, February 21). Putin orders troops into eastern Ukraine on ‘peace-keeping duties’. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/ukraine-putin-decide-recognition-breakaway-states-today
Russian state TV cuts away from Putin at pro-Russia rally – video. (2022, March 18). The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2022/mar/18/russian-state-tv-cuts-away-from-putin-at-pro-russia-rally-video
Salter, M. B. (2008). Securitization and desecuritization: A dramaturgical analysis of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority. Journal of International Relations and Development, 11(4), 321–349. https://doi.org/10.1057/jird.2008.20 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/jird.2008.20
Sauer, P. (2022, March 18). Putin praises Russian’ unity’ at rally as glitch cuts state TV broadcast. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/18/putin-praises-russian-unity-at-rally-but-state-tv-broadcast-is-cut-off
Saul, D. (2022, February 15). Putin’s long tables explained: Why he puts some leaders, including Germany’s Scholz, at an extreme distance. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2022/02/15/putins-long-tables-explained-why-he-puts-some-leaders-including-germanys-scholz-at-an-extreme-distance/?sh=7fbc9d0d70fb
Sauter, M. (2014). The coming swarm. Bloomsbury Academics. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5040/9781628926705
Schwarzenegger, A. [@Schwarzenegger] (2022, March 17). I love the Russian people. That is why I have to tell you the truth. Please watch and share [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/schwarzenegger/status/1504426844199669762
Scott, J. (2022, March 8). Ukraine: Volodymyr Zelensky to address UK MPs in commons. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60655003
‘Scum and traitors’: Putin threatens Russians who oppose war in Ukraine – video. (2022, March 17). The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2022/mar/17/scum-and-traitors-putin-threatens-russians-who-oppose-war-in-ukraine-video
Siapera, E. (2018). Understanding new media (2nd ed.). Sage.
Smith, A. (2022a, February 28). Anonymous trolls Putin by renaming yacht ‘FCKPTN’ and sending it to ‘Hell’ by hacking maritime data. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/anonymous-vladimir-putin-yacht-fckptn-b2024780.html
Smith, A. (2022b, March 17). ‘Scum and traitors’: Under pressure over Ukraine, Putin turns his ire on Russians. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/scum-traitors-pressure-ukraine-putin-turns-ire-russians-rcna20410
Smith, A. (2022c, March 24). Google Maps suspends reviews as Russian landmarks flooded with photos of captured soldiers and news clips. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/google-maps-russian-landmarks-photos-reviews-b2027638.html
‘Speak plainly!’: Putin has tense exchange with his spy chief – video. (2022, February 22). The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2022/feb/22/speak-plainly-putin-tense-exchange-spy-chief-ukraine-video
Sorell, T. (2015). Human rights and hacktivism: The cases of Wikileaks and Anonymous. Journal of Human Rights Practices, 7(3), 391–410. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhuman/huv012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jhuman/huv012
Stanage, N. (2022, March 16). Five takeaways from Zelensky’s virtual address to congress. The Hill. https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/598428-five-takeaways-from-zelenskys-virtual-address-to-congress
Stokel-Walker, C., & Milmo, D. (2022, March 15). ‘It’s the right thing to do’: The 300,000 volunteer hackers coming together to fight Russia. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/15/volunteer-hackers-fight-russia
Stupples, D. (2015, November 26). The next war will be an information war, and we’re not ready for it. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/the-next-war-will-be-an-information-war-and-were-not-ready-for-it-51218
The Associated Press. (2022, February 26). Live updates: Zelenskyy declines US offer to evacuate Kyiv. AP NEWS. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-europe-united-nations-kyiv-6ccba0905f1871992b93712d3585f548
The Kyiv Independent [@KyivIndependent]. (2022, March 7). Hacking group Anonymous interrupts Russian state TV programs with footage of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and an anti-war [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1500631918584467464
Trackray, L. (2022, March 7). Tripadvisor blocks some Russian reviews as customers use it to protest war. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/tripadvisor-blocks-russia-reviews-war-protest-b2030028.html
Ukraine: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s anti-war video trends on Russian social media. (2022, March 18). BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60794809
United Nations. (2022, February 22). Secretary-general says Russian Federation’s recognition of ‘Independent’ Donetsk, Luhansk violate Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity [Press release]. https://www.un.org/press/en/2022/sgsm21153.doc.htm
Video: Ukrainian President Zelensky says country’s leaders remain in Kyiv. (2022, February 25). Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/video/video-ukrainian-president-zelensky-says-countrys-leaders-remain-in-kyiv/CFFBD1E0-2208-4379-A93E-85DA5CEC9228.html
Walker, S. (2022, February 21). Putin’s absurd, angry spectacle will be a turning point in his long reign. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/putin-angry-spectacle-amounts-to-declaration-war-ukraine
Watson, K. (2022, March 14). Zelensky to deliver virtual address to congress on Wednesday. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/volodymyr-zelensky-ukraine-president-us-congress-virtual-address/
Wolfsfeld, G. (2022). Making sense of media and politics (1st ed.). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003176657
Zelenskyy, V. [@@ZelenskyyUa]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Twitter. Retrieved April 2, 2022, from https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Tine, Juan Ahmad
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors own the copyright, providing the journal with the right of first publication. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
