The main office of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Crimea has opened a criminal case regarding DDoS attacks made on the Web site of the Center for Investigative Journalism, a Crimean online newspaper, which began on October 28 - the day of parliamentary elections in Ukraine.
The newspaper reported, citing the SBU’s main office in Crimea, that the criminal case had been opened under Part 1, Article 361 of the Criminal Code (unauthorized interference with the work of computers, automated systems, computer networks or electricity supply networks, resulting in the leakage, loss, forgery, blocking of information, the distortion of information processing, or the breach of the established order of information routing).
According to the online newspaper, the criminal case was opened following checks on a statement made by the leader of the Center for Investigative Journalist, Valentyna Samar, which was sent to the SBU office on October 28.
It contained the request to conduct checks and open a criminal case not only under Article 361 of the Criminal Code, but also under Article 171 (obstructing the professional activity of journalists), because due to DDoS attacks and the inaccessibility of the Web site, journalists could not fulfill their professional duties and freely distribute socially important information on Election Day and during the tabulation process.
