Ukrainian hackers disrupt major Russian state media broadcasts
Ukrainian hackers attacked the All-Russian State Television and Radio Company (WGTRK) and disrupted the online broadcast of over 20 propaganda television stations, including Rossiya-1 and Rossiya-24, a source from the Interfax-Ukraine agency reported on Monday.
According to the source, not only are the online broadcasts of these TV channels unavailable, but television in Russia is also non-functional. It was reported that the data on WGTRK's servers, including their backups, have been destroyed. The online broadcast and internal services are inoperative. Additionally, there are issues with internet and telephone access at the company's headquarters.
Ukrainian cyberattack on Russia's state broadcaster
An anonymous pro-Ukrainian hacker group, Sudo rm-RF, which has previously targeted entities in Russia, claimed responsibility for Monday's operation. The attack coincided with Vladimir Putin's birthday.
Earlier, WGTRK reported that it had been the target of an "unprecedented" cyberattack the previous night, although radio and television broadcasts were not completely halted. The company's internet services sector was affected.
At a daily press conference, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that an investigation is underway to identify the possible perpetrators of the attack on this "critical infrastructure facility."
"Internet broadcasts and internal services are down. This will last for some time. I heard that hackers wiped everything from the servers, including backups," reported the Gazeta.ru portal, citing a person familiar with the situation.
WGTRK is the largest state media holding in Russia and a primary pillar of propaganda, primarily aimed at Russian audiences. The television and radio channels - including Rossiya-1 and Vesti FM - are among the most popular in the country.
