The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Intelligence has published what it claims is the personal data of hundreds of Russian intelligence officers online.
The data, which was published on Monday, contains the names, addresses and phone numbers of 620 individuals who Ukraine asserts to be officers of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) involved in “criminal activities” in Europe.
Ukraine said the alleged FSB officers on the list are registered as living in Lubyanka – the agency’s headquarters in Moscow.
Other information detailed in the list appears to reveal the alleged agents’ vehicle license plates, passport numbers, SIM cards, signatures and the dates and locations of their birth.
The Times reports that one alleged agent on the list used “jamesbond007” as part of his Skype address.
The list was posted on the Directorate of Intelligence’s official website. A statement written in Russian to accompany the post read: “Employees of the FSB of Russia involved in the criminal activities of the aggressor-state in Europe.”
No details were shared as to what criminal activities the alleged Russian agents allegedly committed.
Russia has not commented on the published list, the authenticity of which Reuters has been unable to verify.
Andrew Barratt, vice president at cybersecurity advisory services, Coalfire, commented: “As the war between Russia and Ukraine progresses, it’s perhaps inevitable that Russian personal data is shared. Ukraine has mounted a fairly well-publicized and ‘open to all’ cyber campaign, largely coordinated via Telegram and social media.
“There is a potential now for escalation against the Russian FSB agents whose data has been leaked, also demonstrating the asymmetry that can be established by aggressively targeted cyber-attacks.”
Barratt warned that the apparent leakage of FSB officers’ personal data could provide Russia with “false flag cover” and give the Putin administration an excuse for domestic action taken against FSB members who may have been sympathetic to the Ukrainian cause.
He added that the leak “also serves as a warning to the NATO alliance.”
Barratt continued: “If these leaks were the work of a group attaching themselves to the cause, history has shown us how fickle those groups’ allegiances can be.”