More than 600 websites owned by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense in Kyiv weathered thousands of hacking attempts coordinated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to the report.
The report was based on intelligence memos obtained by The Times and subsequent interviews with British and Ukrainian intelligence and security organizations.
The attacks began on Feb. 23, two days after the end of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games and one day before Russian leader Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated that the attacks attempted to infiltrate a wide array of targets, including the national bank and rail authority, according to The Times. Attempts were made to steal data and also disrupt operations, according to memos from the SBU that were compiled by another nation.
Russia also attempted to hamstring Ukrainian networks before invading, according to the report.
Ukrainian sources said Chinese attacks were distinguished by the unique tools and methods utilized by the cyber warfare unit of the CCP’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army.
A UK government spokesperson told The Times that the allegations were being investigated with the assistance of international partners.
Sources from the U.S. intelligence community are said to have corroborated reports of a Chinese cyberattack on Ukraine’s government.
The regime in Beijing has refused to condemn Putin for the war, actively censors social media posts that criticize Moscow’s aggression, and has declined to join multilateral sanctions placed on Russia by the international community.