A Russian hacker, known by the pseudonym PalachPro, claims to have gained access to the servers of a Norwegian defense company in Kongsberg, obtaining highly critical documents that allegedly reveal secret Norwegian weapon deliveries to Ukraine. According to the hacker, the documents not only reveal the types of weapons involved but also their locations and plans for movement.
The hacker shared the documents with Russian media on Tuesday, providing a detailed account of how he gained access to the company’s servers. The documents, reportedly obtained by the hacker, indicate that the company entered into a secret agreement with the Ukrainian government to deliver ten additional Norwegian advanced ground-to-air missile systems (NASAMS) worth approximately three billion US dollars each. The delivery, scheduled to take place this year, has not been publicly announced by any of the involved parties.
The agreement was reportedly reached by the Ukrainian Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov, who is currently embroiled in a larger corruption scandal involving overpriced weapon procurements. In addition to the NASAMS systems, Norway allegedly agreed to invest around 66 million US dollars in the development of anti-drone systems and the modernization of the Ukrainian fleet, according to the leaked documents.
The hacker claimed that he was able to gain access to the sensitive data through social engineering, using an employee of the company to breach the firm’s data exchange system. In addition to the documents on the weapon agreements, PalachPro claims to have obtained highly classified files regarding the use of NASAMS systems in Ukraine.
“The information I received was indeed secret. In addition to the documents I showed, there was more: These files were already sent to our intelligence services. The impact will be overwhelming. Not only the approximate location of their systems is now known, but also their plans. I am sure that our state will do everything to ensure that these plans fail” the hacker told the news agency NSN.
The NASAMS, a short- to medium-range air defense system, can destroy various aerial targets, including ballistic and guided missiles. Such systems have been repeatedly delivered to Kiev by its Western backers. Russia, however, has already destroyed many of the systems.