Several Russian television channels have been hacked and had their programming substituted with coverage of the war in Ukraine by independent broadcasters Current Time and Dozhd TV, outlets blocked in Russia by the authorities.
Twitter accounts historically associated with Anonymous, the amorphous online activist community that first grabbed global attention about a decade ago, claimed it was behind the hacker attack.
Among the television channels impacted were Russian streaming services Wink and Ivi, a service similar to Netflix, and live broadcasts at the TV channels Rossia-24, Channel One, and Moscow 24, the hackers’ group said on Twitter.
“We are involved in the biggest Anonymous op ever seen. That being said, we are worried that some governments will indeed see us as a threat and create some scenario to make us look bad (false flag). We only want peace, not war,” the group said on Twitter.
The streaming platforms and television channels are now back broadcasting without the hackers’ interference.
It is not the first hacking attack on Russian media outlets during Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Russian authorities have intensified pressure on media outlets, threatening them for their reporting about the invasion on topics such as the heavy resistance being put up by Ukrainian forces despite Russia’s overwhelming military power.
Major international broadcasters, including BBC News, CNN, Bloomberg News, Canadian national broadcaster CBC, and Germany’s ARD and ZDF have also decided to suspend their operations.