"It's like an explosion": Cyberwarfare harms for civilian population in Ukraine during the Russian invasion

Studies on civilian costs of cyberwarfare operations are crucial in understanding how to protect the population in large-scale cyberattacks conducted by state actors. In this preliminary study, we conduct interviews (N=5) focusing on the harms experienced by Ukrainian civilians due to Russian cyberwarfare operations since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022 as well as mitigation measures for protection of the civil society. The findings include harms such as lack of information, lack of access to essential services, physical harms, anxiety and lack of trust in the government. The study shows that cyberwarfare operations have the potential of causing severe harm to civilians and that there is a need for future studies to be conducted and adopted by institutions in order to develop measures to mitigate, not only in Ukraine but in any countries in risk of such attacks.