Russia's education watchdog, Rosobrnadzor, said it restored its online systems after a cyberattack disrupted nationwide school assessments and displayed messages urging students to join an underground movement against President Vladimir Putin. The attack last Friday forced the agency to pause assessments at schools and vocational institutions across the country, with students on the Edutest platform seeing anti-government messages instead of test questions.
The pro-Ukrainian hacking group Black Spark claimed responsibility, describing itself as an underground resistance movement operating inside Russia. The group said Russian students had welcomed the disruption and sent messages of support, but it categorically denied seeking to recruit minors into its activities. It nonetheless encouraged adults to join its campaign against the Russian government.
Officials did not say how attackers gained access to the assessment platform or whether any information was stolen. The disruption hit a major stage of the nationwide assessment program, during which 9th graders in 29 regions were scheduled to complete questionnaires on education quality, school safety, and students' attitudes and values. The results are used to evaluate educational institutions rather than individual students and do not affect grades or graduation eligibility.