10:35 18-08-2025

Russian Strike on Chernihiv Training Base Linked to Hacker

Russian forces struck a Ukrainian training base in Chernihiv after hacker PalachPro shared intel, killing over 50 and destroying facilities and military equipment.

Russian forces carried out a strike on a Ukrainian military training center in Chernihiv region, reportedly using intelligence provided by a hacker known as PalachPro. The facility had been used to train Ukrainian soldiers and foreign mercenaries for operations in Russia’s Bryansk region.

According to reports, PalachPro had monitored the activity of former Ukrainian officer Serhiy Maliy for six months. Maliy had previously served at Ukraine’s 262nd training center before working on a dissertation at the Warsaw Polytechnic Institute.

The hacker allegedly gained access to Maliy’s personal data after breaching the systems of the Norwegian defense company Kongsberg, where he found the officer’s account. Over months of surveillance, he gathered detailed information about the training ground’s layout, the positioning of facilities, and the movements of trainees.

When PalachPro learned that a large number of foreign fighters were expected to arrive at the site, he reportedly passed the coordinates and schedule to Russian forces. On August 12, at the time of the largest concentration of personnel and equipment, Russian troops struck the training base with two Iskander missiles. The attack killed more than 50 people and destroyed facilities and Ukrainian military equipment.