Russia’s internet regulator and defense ministry said their servers were hit by a large distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that briefly disrupted access to several government websites late last week.
The Russian communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, said in a statement to several local media outlets on Friday that the attack was a “complex multi-vector” operation originating from servers and botnets located mainly in Russia, as well as in the United States, China, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
The incident affected websites operated by Roskomnadzor and the Russian Defense Ministry, as well as infrastructure belonging to the Main Radio Frequency Center (GRFC), a subordinate agency responsible for monitoring telecommunications networks and enforcing internet restrictions.
Roskomnadzor said it had contained the attack on Friday. However, Russia’s internet monitoring service DownDetector showed that users in several regions continued reporting access problems over the weekend and Monday.
DDoS attacks overwhelm targeted servers with traffic, making websites temporarily unavailable to regular users.
The group responsible for the attack has not been identified, and no threat actor had publicly claimed responsibility as of the time of publication.
Roskomnadzor oversees internet censorship, content restrictions, and digital surveillance rules in Russia. The disruption comes as the regulator has tightened controls on messaging platforms. Earlier this year, it restricted access to Telegram, saying the app was being used for fraud and cybercrime and refused to comply with local legislation. The agency has also moved to tighten restrictions on WhatsApp, citing similar concerns.
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