Hackers claim they discovered the identity of the Russian aviation commander behind the bombing of Ukraine’s southern port city of Mariupol and tricked his wife into revealing sultry snaps of herself and other officers’ partners.
Ukrainian hacktivist group Cyber resistance and volunteer organization Inform Napalm stated that Colonel Sergei Atroshchenko – commander of the 980th Assault Aviation Regiment – ordered a pair of fighter jets to drop two 500 kg bombs on the theater of Mariupol on March 16, 2022.
Hundreds of civilians were killed in the attack on the theater, which was used as a bomb shelter and had the inscription ‘CHILDREN’ in the courtyard outside.
After learning Atroshchenko’s personal details, the hacktivists posed as an officer of his regiment and asked his wife Lilia to organize a “patriotic photo shoot” of wives and girlfriends for their husbands at the front.
On March 16, 2023 — exactly one year after the day her husband allegedly ordered the horrific bombing of the Mariupol Theater — she duly complied.
Lilia provided the hacktivists with a stunning series of images showing 12 women posing in their husbands’ uniforms, giving the hackers all the information they needed to identify even more Russian commanders they believe are behind the attacks on Mariupol – along with a treasure trove of NSFW photos.
Colonel Sergei Atroshchenko, of the Russian 960th Assault Aviation Regiment, is said to have ordered a pair of Russian warplanes to bomb the Mariupol theater on March 16, 2022.
The hackers posted several intimate images that Lilia Atroshchenko sent to her husband
Lilia sent the hackers dozens of images from a photo shoot of the wives and girlfriends of Russian commanders
Lilia organized a group of wives and girlfriends to pose with their husbands’ uniforms and reveal their identities. She also sent several images of Russian aircraft, as well as NSFW images
Inform Napalm revealed that Atroshchenko was born in the Ukrainian town of Ovruch, Zhytomyr region, before moving to Lipetsk in Russia and registering in Voronezh.
He later served in the army in occupied Crimea before moving to the southern Russian city of Primorsko-Akhtarsk, just five kilometers from the airbase where his regiment is stationed.
Hackers also said Ukrainian-born Atroshchenko, 42, had personally ordered warplanes to launch attacks against other civilian targets, including the Mariupol maternity hospital.
They released a flood of the commander’s personal information, including private contact details and salary, sensitive details such as lists of the pilots under his command and their performance ratings, and various “theoretical and practical” details of missions they provided for Ukrainian intelligence services. analysis.
Just two days after the hackers received Lilia’s footage, Atroshchenko’s regiment was decorated as part of an executive order signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The regiment was elevated to the honorary title of ‘guards’ for their ‘massive heroism and courage, fortitude and courage in combat operations to protect the fatherland’, according to the decree.
Hackers also said Ukrainian-born Atroshchenko, 42, had personally ordered warplanes to launch attacks against other civilian targets, including the Mariupol maternity hospital.
Inquire that Napalm has released images of Atroshchenko’s personal details, including his military registration document and his registration in the Russian city of Voronezh. Atroshchenko was born in Zhytomyr in Ukraine
The hackers accessed Atroshchenko’s personal accounts and discovered the identities of his regiment and their families
The hackers were also able to find a series of images and videos of Russian fighter jets, as well as sensitive documents, on Atroshchenko’s accounts
Inform Napalm alleged that hackers sent details they obtained about Atroshchenko to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to aid the ongoing investigation into Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
It comes as the Biden administration announced it would support the establishment of a tribunal dedicated to investigating and prosecuting war crimes.
“The United States supports the development of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine in the form of an internationalized court rooted in the Ukrainian legal system, with international elements,” the State Department said in emailed comments. to reporters.
The officials said they envision a hybrid tribunal based on the Ukrainian legal system but with international components — similar to previous ad hoc war crimes courts set up for Cambodia, Chad, the Central African Republic and Bosnia — and likely located in The Hague, Netherlands.
“This kind of model – an internationalized national court – will allow for wider international support and demonstrate Ukraine’s leadership in ensuring accountability for the crime of aggression,” the foreign ministry said.
“It also builds on the example of other successful legal mechanisms.”
The Hague will become home to the International Center for Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression, a Ukraine-focused investigative unit expected to be fully operational this summer. The center’s offices and staff could be included in whatever tribunal is eventually created, the US officials said.
The Hague also houses the ICC and the International Court of Justice. The ICC prosecutor issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and an aide for the kidnapping of Ukrainian children earlier this month.
But the US is not a member of the ICC, making it more difficult to support the court with evidence or other information that could be used in the prosecution.