The incident gained international attention when the announced that a massive database containing approximately 53 million records of Ukrainian residents had been found for sale on a specialized hacking forum .
: Following the discovery, the Commissioner initiated a probe and contacted the National Police of Ukraine to open criminal proceedings. The breach was particularly alarming because it appeared to aggregate data from multiple private and state sources, rather than a single government department. Context of Modern Ukrainian Citizenship ukraina citizenship database 53 million.7z
While this specific file represents a criminal leak, the broader "story" of Ukrainian citizenship has become a central geopolitical issue: compelling Ukrainians to take Russian citizenship.
: Since 2014, Russia has engaged in "forced naturalization" or "passportization" in occupied territories, compelling Ukrainians to take Russian citizenship. ukraina citizenship database 53 million.7z