Separatist domains blocked during press conference
To block separatist domains, there was no need to seize NIC.UA servers and create problems for tens of thousands of Ukrainian citizens. This was demonstrated by the company's director, Andriy Khvetkevich, who blocked the domains cited by the SBU right during a press conference.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHoGQHZQmS0&feature=youtu.be.
The separatist websites were not hosted on our equipment, which was seized. They are physically located outside of Ukraine, as we have repeatedly stated in responses to SBU inquiries (scans are published here:https://info.nic.ua/blog/servers-nicua/).
In January 2015, we amended our Public Agreement to allow us to legally deny service to clients who violate the law. However, this year, we haven't received a single request from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) regarding the domains allegedly responsible for the server seizures.
However, our equipment was seized the very next day after the Business Deregulation Law came into force, prohibiting the seizure of servers when a copy of the information can be obtained. If copies of the data cannot be provided, seizure can only be based on a clear list specifying the specific equipment. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed this law on April 2. Lawyer Artem Afian finds it difficult to say what exactly the SBU is looking for on these servers and, under the law, cannot comment on the actions of law enforcement agencies.
As a result of law enforcement actions, numerous entrepreneurs, volunteer organizations, libraries, and many government agencies (such as the State Agricultural Inspectorate and district administrations) suffered. We still cannot estimate the extent of the damage inflicted on our clients.
The SBU's claim that you can come to them and retrieve a copy of your website is meaningless. Without a valid connection to the servers, the data cannot be retrieved.
We're open to dialogue and committed to expediting the server recovery process, as honest Ukrainian taxpayers—our clients—are the ones suffering. However, after two days, we've been unable to contact representatives of the Security Service. They're simply ignoring us.
Damage has been inflicted on the entire Ukrainian hosting market. To avoid similar situations in the future, to ensure the development of the IT market in our country, and to establish an effective system of interaction between government agencies and IT businesses, Andriy Khvetkevich proposes creating a cybersecurity structure staffed with competent IT and information security specialists.
