Yet another ominous sign in Ukraine: Government and banking websites in the country were taken down Wednesday in what the country's digital minister describes as a massive cyberattack, Politico reports. The targets included Ukraine's defense, foreign, and interior ministries, though many of the websites affected were soon back online again. The cyberattack follows a similar one last week and one in January in which the hackers warned Ukrainians to "expect the worst." Analysts believe the cyberattacks, and others dating back to the 2014 Russian invasion of Crimea, are the work of Moscow's military intelligence agency, reports the AP. In other developments:
- Ukraine says army is ready. With fears of all-out war rising, the head of Ukraine's national security and defense council said Wednesday that "our army is ready" to counter a Russian attack, the New York Times reports. Military reservists have been called up.
- State of emergency declared. Reuters reports that Ukraine declared a state of emergency Wednesday and told its citizens to get out of Russia immediately. Moscow, meanwhile, began evacuating personnel from its embassy in Kyiv. Emergency regulations expected to take effect in Ukraine Thursday could include restrictions on freedom of movement for men of fighting age.