Ukrainian VPN operator arrested for offering rogue VPN service

The Ukrainian cyber police have arrested a 28 year old self-taught hacker for providing a VPN service that would let users connect to Russia’s Runet.

Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine back in February 2022, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) prohibited its citizens from accessing Runet, Russia’s private and government controlled internet that’s isolated from the global internet.

Naturally, setting up your own shop to provide access to sanctioned Russian websites is now allowed with these restrictions in place. That’s exactly what a Ukrainian national did.

He acquired all the hardware and software he needed to set up an autonomous VPN server room in his apartment. He rented servers located in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Russia to offer his VPN service.

That way he was able to offer access to over 48 million Runet IP addresses and bypass the NSDC’s sanctions. According to Ukraine’s cyber police, the daily volume of the suspect’s VPN network exceeded 100 GB.

According to the police report, the 28 year old man used Telegram to advertise his services and to recruit like-minded people.

The police conducted home searches in Khmelnytskyi and Zhytomyr. During the searches, officers seized mobile phones, server equipment and computers, containing evidence of the suspect’s and his accomplices’ illegal activities.

The police are currently investigating the information that’s being stored on the confiscated devices, hoping to identify Russian agents working with the VPN operator.

The Ukrainian national is being charged for unauthorized interference with electronic communication systems during martial law. He faces up to 15 years in prison.

The Ukrainian police expect to make more arrests soon.