## Belarusian Cyber Partisans

[RPT-224]

Can you describe a defining moment that galvanized you into the hacktivist movement and what personal or political motivations continue to drive your collective's activities?

The catalyst for our movement was the 2020 presidential election in Belarus on August 9th, when Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory despite widespread allegations of vote rigging. The blatant disregard for democratic processes and the subsequent violent repression of peaceful protests drove us to take action. Our personal motivations stem from having witnessed firsthand the brutality of the regime against innocent citizens. Many of us participated in the protests and experienced police brutality ourselves.

Politically, we aim to expose the corruption and lies of the Lukashenko regime, provide transparency to the Belarusian people, and support the pro-democracy movement. The continued political oppression, censorship, and human rights abuses within Belarus fuel our activities. We cannot stand idly by while members of our community are regularly detained, tortured, and silenced.

How do you cultivate and advance the skills within your group, and what do you look for when recruiting new members to ensure they align with your objectives?

We hold regular knowledge sharing sessions focused on hacking techniques, cybersecurity, privacy tools, and tradecraft. Members are encouraged to take online courses, participate in hackathons, and share insights from independent research. When recruiting, we look for individuals with a strong moral compass, critical thinking, and a commitment to nonviolence. Technical expertise is valued but not required, as long as the person demonstrates a willingness to learn.

Potential recruits must undergo extensive vetting to prove dedication to our principles of freedom, democracy, and human rights. We aim for diversity within our ranks to gain new perspectives.

Without divulging sensitive details, can you share how you've developed your operational capabilities and how you decide on the allocation of these resources for a particular campaign?

Our capabilities have evolved through meticulous planning, penetration testing, and compartmentalized knowledge sharing between cells. We maintain an encrypted repository of tools, exploits, and procedures. Campaigns are proposed through decentralized consensus based on potential impact, operational risk, and relevance to current events. Cell leaders coordinate to allocate skills and resources. Throughout operations, we utilize redundancy, compartmentalization, and minimum disclosure to maintain security.

What is the process behind selecting your targets, and how do you ensure that your actions align with your group’s underlying ethos and objectives?

Potential targets are crowdsourced from members and vetted by senior leadership. We perform extensive reconnaissance on shortlisted targets to model vulnerabilities, contingencies, and potential blowback. This input is used to evaluate alignment with our ethos and objectives through decentralized consensus. We aim to minimize harm by excluding targets with high collateral damage risk, for example critical infrastructure. Final approval requires complete transparency and unanimous consent across all cells.

Looking back at your previous activities, which would you say has had the most significant impact on your cause, and why do you think it resonated so strongly with the public?

Our most impactful operation was the January 2022 breach of the National Police database. We exposed extensive evidence of police brutality and corruption, including photos and videos of peaceful protesters being violently arrested and detained in inhumane conditions. This resonated strongly because it provided irrefutable visual evidence from the regime's own systems. Our publication of this database sparked global outrage, energized protesters, and put increased diplomatic pressure on the regime.

Could you give us an insight into the structure of your organization? How do you maintain cohesion and security within your group, especially with members dispersed globally?

We operate as a decentralized, non-hierarchical network organized into regional cells of 3-5 vetted members each. Cells operate autonomously but coordinate via encrypted channels and forums hosted on hidden services. Strict need-to-know segregation between cells limits exposure. We maintain cohesion through a shared mission rather than top-down control. Members new and old forge bonds during our annual encrypted global assembly where we reflect on our principles and direction.

What are some of the key tactics, techniques, and procedures that have defined your group's approach to hacktivism, and how do these TTPs evolve in response to the changing digital landscape?

Our key TTPs include exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities, social engineering for initial access, establishing redundant covert channels, and anonymizing our footprint via Tor and crypto. We constantly monitor cybersecurity trends to identify emergent vulnerabilities, adapt encryption schemes, and simulate adversarial detection capabilities. Post-operation reviews inform our TTP evolution as we analyze successes and failures. Ultimately our agility to adapt techniques while preserving our ethos defines our approach.