THE NOTPETYA CYBER-ATTACK: RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT AND ITS IMPACT ON THE REGIONAL ECONOMIES

Abstract

In 2017, the NotPetya attack, widely cited as Russian-sponsored cyber-attacks against Ukraine, marked the dawning of the future of cyber war as a means of statecraft, with implications for local economies and global politics. This paper draws on realist theory to analyze the geopolitical implications of the NotPetya attack against Russia and Ukraine through power relations, state sovereignty and security problems. In overturning Ukrainian infrastructure and economic structures, the attack showed just how cyber operations can extend age-old power struggle into the digital realm. This spillover to the local economies, as well as collateral damage to international companies and neighboring states, reminds us how cyber threats are global in nature. It shows that current international arrangements have failed in combating state-sponsored cyber-attacks, and demands a revision of security paradigms to stop such attacks. The discussion informs a more general discussion about cyber warfare, its use in state strategies, and its impacts on regional stability and economic resilience.

Keywords: NotPetya cyber-attack, Russia-Ukraine war, regional economies, cyber war, realist theory.