Pierluigi Paganini June 04, 2025

Ukraine’s GUR hacked the Russian aerospace and defense company Tupolev, stealing 4.4GB of highly classified internal data.

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency GUR (aka HUR) claims the hack of the Russian aerospace and defense company Tupolev.

According to Kyiv Post, Ukraine’s Military Intelligence compromised the United Aircraft Company (UAC) Tupolev division, which is a key developer of strategic bombers for the Russian military, and stole 4.4GB of highly classified internal data.

“The cyber unit of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) has carried out a large-scale operation targeting Russia’s aviation giant – the United Aircraft Company (UAC) Tupolev division, successor to the Soviet-era Tupolev Design Bureau – a key developer of strategic bombers for the Russian military.” read the article published by Kyiv Post.

“A source within the intelligence community told Kyiv Post on Wednesday, June 4, that as a result of the breach, Ukrainian operatives obtained more than 4.4 gigabytes of highly classified internal data with strategic significance.”

The stolen data includes internal communications, staff personal details, engineers’ resumes, procurement records, and confidential meeting minutes.

A Ukrainian intelligence source told Kyiv Post that the breach has exposed nearly all of Tupolev’s secrets, giving full insight into Russia’s strategic aviation personnel and operations.

“The value of the data obtained is hard to overstate. There is now virtually nothing secret left in Tupolev’s operations as far as Ukrainian intelligence is concerned,” the source said. “We now have comprehensive information on individuals directly involved in maintaining Russia’s strategic aviation. The effects of this operation will be felt both on the ground and in the skies.”

Ukraine’s GUR had secretly monitored Tupolev’s internal document flow for months, gaining deep insight into the company’s operations and gathering evidence for future strikes on Russia’s defense industry. As a symbolic move, they defaced Tupolev’s website with an owl gripping a Russian bomber. Tupolev, under sanctions since 2022, plays a key role in Russia’s war effort.

Ukraine’s GUR has steadily targeted Russia’s military-industrial complex, breaching databases of Russian firms tied to defense, strategic aviation, arms production, and logistics.

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, data breach)