The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine has already cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Of the more than 400 days of dying, March 16, 2022 is considered one of the darkest.
During the fierce fighting for the port city of Mariupol, the invaders also bombed a theater in the center where more than 1,000 civilians, including many children, were sheltering. The attackers had apparently targeted the cultural site, even though the word “Children” was clearly legible in the squares in front and behind the building in huge Cyrillic letters painted on the pavement by a stage designer. According to a reconstruction by the AP news agency, 600 people died – including many children. The destruction of the civilian building is now considered a symbol of the brutality with which Putin’s troops proceed in their campaign. Experts and human rights organizations speak of one of the worst war crimes since the invasion began.
No one knew who the pilots were that flew the attack that day – until now.
As the pro-Ukrainian online volunteer project “Inform Napalm” reports, Ukrainian hackers now want to have revealed the identity of 12 Russian fighter pilots who were responsible for the attack on the Mariupol theater on March 16 – in which the hackers allegedly killed the wife of the trick commanders.
The hacktivist group “Cyber Resistance”, which specializes in accessing Russian networks and confidential information, is said to have leaked e-mails from the fighter pilot to “Inform Napalm”, as well as his “private correspondence”, addresses, passport photos and much more. In turn, the project used this information to create a detailed report that documents the hackers’ actions and results in detail.
Based on this information, the Ukrainian hackers claim to have first identified the commander of the squadron and then his wife. They then apparently managed a remarkable bluff.
According to the report, the hackers contacted the commander’s wife and pretended to be an officer in her husband’s regiment. In order to get the identity of the other pilots, the hackers got creative. They had persuaded the woman to do a private “patriotic photo shoot” with the other soldiers’ wives in their husbands’ uniforms. According to a report by the Kyviv Post, the hackers told the commander’s wife that the group picture was intended to be part of a calendar “intended to boost the morale of military families and army supporters.” The bluff apparently worked. “Inform Napalm” published the corresponding photo this week:
Based on the photos, it was easy for the hackers to determine the identity of each squadron member. Photos of a regiment’s New Year’s party, showing the women together with their husbands, also helped to confirm.
In fact, according to media reports, this same unit has flown several attacks in southern Ukraine from a base in Crimea. In addition, Russian state media had also reported that President Vladimir Putin had awarded this unit for excellent combat performance – without naming their area of operation.
As the US magazine “Vice” writes, the International Criminal Court in The Hague has now initiated investigations. According to Inform Napalm, during the months they monitored the commander’s email traffic, the hackers also uncovered “detailed lists of pilots, officer performance evaluation logs, memos, theoretical and practical calculations, etc.” passed it on to the Ukrainian secret service.
Sources: “Inform Napalm”; “Kyiv Post”; “vice”
