A report says China launched cyber attacks against Ukrainian military and nuclear targets shortly before Russia's invasion of the country.
The British government confirmed that the National Cyber Security Center is investigating the allegations, claiming that more than 600 websites, including the Ukrainian defense ministry, were targeted by thousands of hacking attempts coordinated by the Chinese government.
"The National Cyber Security Center is investigating these allegations with international partners," a UK government spokesman said.
The claim is based on an intelligence memo obtained by the Times. Ukraine's security service, the SBU, accused China of apparently having prior information about the invasion because the hacking attempt began before the end of the Winter Olympics in Beijing and peaked on February 23, the day before Russia invaded its neighbour.
"Other targets of attack include border defense forces and the national bank. These efforts are designed to steal data and find ways to disrupt or shut down defense and civilian infrastructure," the SBU said.
While Russia is believed to be behind a number of cyberattacks in Ukraine in the lead-up to the conflict, the SBU said it had also detected hacks that were characteristic of the People's Liberation Army cyber warfare units. The SBU said it had seen an increase in computer network exploitation (CNE) attacks used for surveillance and espionage.
The Times said the SBU had provided a series of intelligence memos, thought to have been prepared by other countries, detailing the scale of the hack and including nuclear targets.
"Intrusions of particular concern include the CNE campaign directed at the State Inspectorate of Nuclear Regulations, and the Ukrainian Investigation Site focused on Hazardous Waste," reads one of the memos.
"This particular CNE attack by China's cyber program included the launch of thousands of exploits with attempts showing at least 20 different vulnerabilities," the memo said.
On March 18, US President Joe Biden, warned Chinese President Xi Jinping, of the "consequences" if China provided material support to Russia during the invasion.
Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Beijing at the start of the Winter Olympics in February and issued a joint statement saying that the ties between the two countries have no boundaries.
The two also made clear in their statement that they were against further expansion of NATO. Soon after, according to the SBU, there was an increase in CNE attacks against Ukrainian targets.