Ukraine's Military Intelligence Executes Major Cyber Breach on Russian Aerospace Firm Tupolev, Stealing 4.4GB of Classified Data

Posted Jun 4, 2025

By Tom Grant

3 min read

TL;DR

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, GUR, executed a significant cyber breach on the Russian aerospace and defense company Tupolev, obtaining 4.4GB of highly classified internal data. The breach exposed critical information, including internal communications, staff details, and strategic plans, significantly impacting Russia’s strategic aviation capabilities

Ukraine’s GUR Hacks Russian Aerospace Firm Tupolev, Exfiltrating 4.4GB of Highly Classified Data

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, GUR (also known as HUR), has successfully hacked the Russian aerospace and defense company Tupolev, according to reports from Kyiv Post. The breach resulted in the theft of 4.4GB of highly classified internal data, marking a significant blow to Russia’s strategic aviation capabilities.

Overview of the Cyber Operation

The cyber unit of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (GUR) targeted the United Aircraft Company (UAC) Tupolev division, a key developer of strategic bombers for the Russian military. The operation yielded over 4.4GB of highly sensitive data, including internal communications, personal details of staff, engineers’ resumes, procurement records, and confidential meeting minutes ¹.

Impact and Significance

A source within the intelligence community revealed that the breach has exposed nearly all of Tupolev’s secrets, providing Ukrainian intelligence with comprehensive information on individuals involved in Russia’s strategic aviation operations. The source emphasized the strategic significance of the obtained data, stating:

“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. 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.”

Extended Monitoring and Defacement

Ukraine’s GUR had been secretly monitoring Tupolev’s internal document flow for several months, gaining deep insights into the company’s operations and collecting evidence for future actions against Russia’s defense industry. As a symbolic gesture, GUR defaced Tupolev’s website with an image of an owl gripping a Russian bomber. Tupolev, which has been under sanctions since 2022, plays a crucial role in Russia’s ongoing military efforts ².

Targeted Operations Against Russia’s Military-Industrial Complex

GUR has been systematically targeting Russia’s military-industrial complex, breaching databases of companies involved in defense, strategic aviation, arms production, and logistics. This ongoing effort aims to disrupt and weaken Russia’s military capabilities.

Conclusion

The successful cyber operation by Ukraine’s GUR against Tupolev represents a major intelligence coup, providing valuable insights into Russia’s strategic aviation operations. The exfiltrated data is expected to have significant implications for future military and intelligence operations, further highlighting the critical role of cyber warfare in modern conflicts.

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References

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Kyiv Post (June 4, 2025). “Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) has carried out a large-scale operation targeting Russia’s aviation giant – the United Aircraft Company (UAC) Tupolev division”. Kyiv Post. Retrieved 2025-06-04. ↩︎
paolo (June 4, 2025). “Ukrainian hackers from the GUR breached the Tupolev Design Bureau’s resources, accessing critical data on Russia’s strategic aviation”. Twitter. Retrieved 2025-06-04. ↩︎

Cybersecurity & Data Protection, Data Breaches

cybersecurity data breach military intelligence

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