Cyber attack on Ukraine characteristic of Russian methods, U.S. says

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that it was still too early to attribute blame for the largest cyber attacks of their kind that struck Ukraine this week, but the methods were taken from Russian military strategy.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that it was still too early to attribute blame for the largest cyber attacks of their kind that struck Ukraine this week, but the methods were taken from Russian military strategy. "This is a play taken out of (Russian President Vladimir Putin's) playbook," Austin told a news conference.

"We expect to see cyber attacks, false flag activities, increasing rhetoric in the information space ... and we are beginning to see more and more of that." He also said reports of shelling in eastern Ukraine were "concerning".