Anonymous Hackers Reportedly Take Over Multiple Russian TV Channels to Broadcast Messages Opposing Ukrainian Invasion

Sarah RumpfMar 6th, 2022, 8:58 pm
 
anonymous hackers protest

Photo by JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images.

Anonymous, the “hactivist” collective movement, claimed credit Sunday for taking over multiple television and streaming channels in Russia to broadcast messages that opposed the invasion of Ukraine.

A Twitter account associated with Anonymous posted a tweet with a short video clip. Several media outlets confirmed the report, including The Kyiv Independent and Radio Free Europe in Belarus.

Translation of the Радыё Свабода (Radio Free Europe in Belarus) tweet, according to Google Translate:

There are reports of hacking of Wink and IVI video platforms in Russia, Nexta Live writes. It seems that instead of the series “Officers” on the “First” hackers put videos of “Nastoyaschee Vremya” and “Dozhd” on Russian services about the Russian bombing in Ukraine

Anonymous also tweeted a link to an article on the Ukrainian news site “Ukrinform” that reported the story.

An excerpt from the article (according to Google Translate, original in Ukrainian):

The international hacking group Anonymous has hacked all Russian state TV channels, now broadcasting videos of the war in Ukraine and calling on Russians to oppose the Russian genocide in Ukraine…

“Today, the hacker team Anonymous hacked into the Russian streaming services Wink and Ivi (such as Netflix) and live TV channels Russia 24, Channel One, and Moscow 24 to broadcast footage of the war from Ukraine,” the statement said…

Anonymous also announced the hacking of Russia Today (RT) in France.

The video shows that Russian TV channels hacked by Anonymous are calling on Russians to oppose the Russian genocide in Ukraine.

“We are ordinary citizens of Russia. We oppose the war on the territory of Ukraine. Russia and the Russians against the war! This war was waged by Putin’s criminal, authoritarian regime on behalf of ordinary Russian citizens. Russians, oppose the genocide in Ukraine, “the text reads.

Other Twitter accounts posted screenshots and videos that reportedly showed the hacked broadcasts.

This latest hacking is not Anonymous’ first foray into the online battleground related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Late last month, they claimed credit for launching cyberattacks that temporarily took down multiple Russian government websites.

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.