Ukrainian hackers say they uncovered identity of Russian colonel behind the ... trends now
Hackers claim they have uncovered the identity of the Russian aviation commander behind the bombing of Ukraine's southern port city Mariupol in which untold numbers of civilians died.
Ukrainian hacktivist group Cyber Resistance and volunteer organisation Inform Napalm declared that Colonel Sergei Atroshchenko - commander of the 980th Assault Aviation Regiment - ordered a pair of warplanes to drop two 500kg bombs on Mariupol's theatre on March 16, 2022.
Hundreds of civilians were killed in the attack on the theatre, which was being used as an air raid shelter and had the word 'CHILDREN' emblazoned on the courtyard outside.
Having learned Atroshchenko's personal details, including the contact information of his wife Lilia, the hacktivists then posed as an officer from Atroshchenko's regiment and asked Lilia to organise a 'patriotic photoshoot' of wives and girlfriends for their men on the frontlines.
On 16th March, 2023 - exactly one year to the day that her husband is said to have ordered the heinous bombing of the Mariupol theatre - she duly obliged.
Lilia providing the hacktivists with a stunning reel of images showing 12 wives posing in their husbands' uniforms, giving the hackers all the information they needed to identify several more Russian commanders they believe are behind the attacks on Mariupol - along with a trove of NSFW snaps.
Colonel Sergei Atroshchenko, of Russia's 960th Assault Aviation Regiment, is believed to have given the order to a pair of Russian warplanes to bomb Mariupol's theatre on March 16, 2022
The hackers posted several intimate images that Lilia Atroshchenko had sent to her husband
Lilia sent the hackers dozens of images from a photoshoot of Russian commanders' wives and girlfriends
Lilia organised for a group of wives and girlfriends to pose with their husbands' uniforms, giving away their identities. She also sent various images of Russian planes, as well as NSFW images
Inform Napalm revealed that Atroshchenko was born in the Ukrainian town of Ovruch, in the Zhytomyr region, before moving to Lipetsk in Russia and registering in Voronezh.
He later served in the military in occupied Crimea before moving to the southern Russian city of Primorsko-Akhtarsk, just three miles away from the airbase where his regiment is stationed.
Hackers also said the Ukrainian-born Atroshchenko, 42, personally gave orders for warplanes to launch attacks on other civilian targets, including Mariupol's maternity hospital.
They released a torrent of the commander's personal information including private contact details and salary,
