Russia uses AI in cyberattacks against Ukraine, Europe, targeting WhatsApp accounts ...

Russia has been using Claude AI in cyberattacks against Ukraine and Europe in recent months, targeting various government ministries and the WhatsApp accounts of high-level officials, Anthropic said in a Sept. 10 report.

"The most commonly recurring targets were members of the Ukrainian government, military and diplomatic staff. The actor scanned email services and remote access systems across more than two dozen Ukrainian government organizations," the report read .

Russia has been able to use AI to circumvent defenses against cyberattacks that would be more costly for hackers to do so without the tool.

Russian state- hacking group Midnight Blizzard "increased their speed by automating their operations using AI" for an actor labelled as GTG-20006 by Anthropic.

"Our attribution is consistent with public reporting linking the actor to Midnight Blizzard. One of the operators is a Russian speaker using the handle 'JackPoterz' whose tradecraft and targeting are consistent with Russian state-nexus espionage," the report read.

Military intelligence targets in Ukraine and Europe, diplomatic and defense organizations, as well as individuals connected to U.S. foreign policy were attacked.

"The actor also took over victims' WhatsApp accounts, using a platform of headless browsers to link victim accounts as companion devices... the actor's configuration suppressed read receipts so victims would not notice while it bulk-exported Russian and Ukrainian language conversations. At least two former high-level Ukrainian officials were targeted in this way."

GTG-20006 used AI to track if known security defenses were evaded and would autonomously modify malware to circumvent existing detections, Anthropic said.

"Our investigation identified more than 20 distinct organizations targeted in the actor's operational planning, reconnaissance, and live operations. They included government ministries, defense and intelligence bodies, embassies and diplomatic missions, think tanks, and defense-industrial companies, concentrated in Ukraine and Europe but extending to the Middle East and maritime-related government agencies in Asia," the report read.

"A common theme of the targeting was Ukraine and military drone technology providers and supply chains."

Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.

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The attacks on Volyn and Rivne were part of a wider Russian drone assault across Ukraine on Sept. 12. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia launched nearly 500 strike drones at the country during the day.

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The latest incident comes amid broader concern over fires, explosions, and suspected sabotage at European defense facilities supplying Ukraine.

Kyiv authorities don't have the resources to build shelters at every gas station, while the city also lacks weapons needed to intercept Russian drones and missiles, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

The G20 leaders' summit is scheduled to take place in Miami in December.

After refusing even a temporary ceasefire or a leader-level meeting in a noncombatant country, Lavrov went on to emphasize the level of "goodwill" Moscow was displaying in the peace process.

Russian missile strikes hit two major Ukrainian metallurgical plants overnight on Sept. 12, killing two people and injuring six others, according to statements from Zaporizhstal operator Metinvest and ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih.

Russia launched 129 attack drones of various types overnight, including Shahed-type and jet-powered drones, as well as eight Kalibr cruise missiles, six Kh-59/69 guided missiles, and Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, the Air Force said.

The figure includes 1,500 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Odesa's emergency response teams were deployed to assist the affected people at the scene. All of the injured victims have been hospitalized.

Ukrainian forces appear to have struck industrial sites in the Russian cities of Tolyatti and Taganrog on Sept. 12, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

UK intelligence said the number of Russian casualties, meaning killed, wounded, and missing, is thought to be 1.5 million since February 2022, matching Ukrainian estimates.

"A common theme of the targeting was Ukraine and military drone technology providers and supply chains," Anthropic wrote in a report on countering AI misuse.

"Strong decisions from the U.S. President's administration are crucial. Personal decisions from President Trump are also very much desired," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

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