Cyber Partisans Block Access to Belarus National Bank for Two Hours

On October 26, 2020, a group known as the Cyber Partisans blocked access to the website of the National Bank of Belarus for two hours. The action was reportedly taken in response to the bank’s refusal to join a nationwide strike.

Access issues to the Belarusian Central Bank’s website began around 1:00 PM Moscow time. The site stopped loading, and browsers displayed messages indicating that the server’s IP address could not be found. In a statement, the group said, “The National Bank didn’t really want to join the people’s strike. We convinced them otherwise…”

Since the start of mass protests in Belarus in August of this year, the country’s banking system has suffered from a significant outflow of personal deposits, especially foreign currency deposits, which dropped by a billion dollars in the first two months of protests. After two hours of being blocked, the Central Bank’s website resumed normal operation around 3:00 PM Moscow time.

Previous Attacks by Cyber Partisans

Since early September, the Cyber Partisans have also targeted the website of the Presidential Administration. During one attack, the site’s main page displayed the historic white-red-white flag, which was Belarus’s national flag from 1991 to 1995 and is now used by the opposition. Other targets have included the websites of the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

At the end of September, the live broadcasts of major Belarusian TV channels “Belarus 1” and ONT were unexpectedly interrupted with footage of demonstrators being detained. The Cyber Partisans also claimed responsibility for this attack.