The Ministry of Digital Development supported the idea of ​​creating cyber troops

The Minister of Digital Development of the Russian Federation, Maksut Shadayev, supported the idea of ​​​​creating a unit of “cyber troops” in Russia and admitted that it would be possible to serve in them under a contract. This is what he’s talking about reported during a speech at CNews Forum 2023.

“We can discuss the conclusion of contracts and service in the troops related to cyber support for military operations and countering information attacks. I am sure that the Ministry of Defense is actively studying this issue,” he said.

The idea of ​​​​creating cyber troops in Russia has been heard since March 2022. Initially, with a proposal to think about this issue spoke Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Vasily Shpak. Then he also noted that service in the cyber forces could be an alternative for IT specialists to deferment from military service.

With a similar proposal to form cyber troops units within the structure of the Russian Guard in June of this year spoke State Duma deputy Anton Gorelkin. “Since the Russian Guard is, first of all, a law enforcement agency, it is worth considering the formation of a full-fledged cyber troops unit within its structure, taking into account the growing digital competencies here. In conditions of information warfare, this is a necessity,” he wrote in his Telegram channel.

In January of this year, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko stated, that in 2022 about 50,000 hacker attacks on Russian Internet resources were repelled. According to him, in 2021 the target of attacks was the financial sector, and in 2022 – the public sector. Chernyshenko added that “many thousands of different computer vulnerabilities have also been identified.”