Hackers Claim 23 Terabytes Stolen in Cyberattack on Russian Statistics Agency Rosstat
Russian state statistics agency Rosstat suffered a coordinated multi-day cyberattack between October 29 and November 1, during which hackers claimed to have stolen 23 terabytes of data including military casualty figures, The Moscow Times reported. The breach involved simultaneous strikes across multiple regional portals and the main website, which remained inaccessible at the time of publication.
Extremist-Designated Groups Claim Responsibility
Messages from the Belarusian Cyber Partisans and Silent Crow hacking groups appeared across Rosstat’s primary site and regional domains, featuring a message in Belarusian that declared no one would escape accountability, The Moscow Times reported. Both organizations are classified as extremist and outlawed inside Russia. The hackers asserted the exfiltrated files contained demographic statistics, economic data, and documents restricted for official use only. These claims regarding the stolen data volume and contents could not be independently verified by The Moscow Times.
Rosstat Denies Data Leak Amid Ongoing Investigation
Rosstat officials stated that monitoring systems detected suspicious activity early enough for staff to respond, denying that any databases or legally protected information had been compromised. Russian prosecutors confirmed the intrusion and opened a formal criminal investigation into unauthorized access to computer systems, The Moscow Times reported. The agency characterized the operation as a carefully planned multi-location assault executed by specialists possessing diverse technical expertise.
Prior Cyber Incidents Linked to the Groups
In July 2025, Belarusian Cyber Partisans and Silent Crow targeted Aeroflot’s information technology systems, causing widespread operational disruption confirmed by Russian prosecutors, The Moscow Times reported. Earlier in January 2025, Silent Crow asserted it stole a database holding two billion property-owner records from the state real estate registry Rosreestr. While Rosreestr denied that breach occurred, journalists subsequently verified portions of the published data, according to The Moscow Times.
Missing Wartime Demographic Records Deepen Scrutiny
The alleged theft of wartime loss data coincides with a reduction in publicly accessible demographic metrics in Russia. Although Rosstat’s official methodology includes tracking deaths resulting from military operations, the agency stopped publishing its annual cause-of-death statistics in 2024, The Moscow Times reported. Other datasets useful for evaluating the impact of the war in Ukraine have similarly disappeared from public access.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Rosstat Breach
What specific data did the hackers claim to take from Rosstat?
The Belarusian Cyber Partisans and Silent Crow claimed to have stolen 23 terabytes of data, which they alleged included records on Russian wartime losses, demographic data, economic statistics, and files labeled for official use only, according to The Moscow Times.
Have independent auditors verified the data theft claims?
No. The Moscow Times reported that the hackers’ claims regarding the stolen files could not be independently verified, while Rosstat maintained that monitoring systems prevented any actual data leaks.
How did Russian authorities respond to the incident?
Rosstat stated that its staff reacted quickly after detecting suspicious activity between October 29 and November 1, and Russian prosecutors subsequently opened a criminal investigation into unauthorized computer access, as reported by The Moscow Times.
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