Ukraine penetrates Russian television and deceives Putin by launching a counterattack

News

by Sunyana Farbrov

June 5, 2023 | 9:04 a.m

Ukrainian hackers hacked into Russian TV channels in occupied Crimea on Sunday, broadcasting a skilfully produced video hinting at the start of Kiev’s imminent counteroffensive.

Several Ukrainian news outlets reported that the broadcasts of the Russian cable channels “Russia” and “Friday” were interrupted by a recording from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, showing heavily armed Kiev soldiers staring into the camera while holding a finger to their lips.

Accompanying the mysterious footage is a message in Ukrainian that reads: “Plan like silence. There will be no announcement that it has ‘started’.”

The clip ends with a shot of two fighter jets flying overhead — an apparent reference to Ukraine’s efforts to buy warplanes from its Western allies — and a man’s voice off camera says, “Shhh.”

Ukraine’s national public broadcasting company, known as Suspilne, reported the hack, citing information from a resident of the city of Simferopol in Crimea, according to Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda.

Oleg Kryuchkov, a Kremlin-appointed adviser to Crimea’s president, confirmed the breach in a statement on Sunday.

“The broadcasts of many cable operators in Crimea were hacked,” Kryuchkov said. “The signal is cut off. TV broadcasts – all complications – are operating as normal.”

This was not the first foray of Ukrainian cyber warriors into Crimea since the beginning of the war.

In February, on the eve of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, two radio stations in Crimea were hacked to broadcast Ukraine’s national anthem, followed by a message from Maj. Gen. Kirillo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s defense intelligence, who vowed that Kiev’s forces would liberate all occupied territories, including the peninsula. Crimea.

“We will find every traitor to Ukraine, wherever they are. Destroy them all,” Budanov warned. “I say to all patriots: it’s time to act. Stay tuned. We are coming to you. Glory to Ukraine! “

In April 2022, Ukrainian hackers sabotaged the broadcast of the first Russian channel in Crimea, broadcasting a message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Reported by Ukraineska Pravda.

In the recording, Zelensky said, “Let all Russian officials who have seized valuable lands in Crimea remember that this is not a land where they will have peace.”

In his public statements throughout the 15-month-old conflict, Zelensky has repeatedly promised to take back control of Crimea, which Vladimir Putin annexed by force in 2014.

The Russian occupation forces in Ukraine are now preparing to start the long-awaited counter-offensive in Ukraine, which has been in the works for months.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces on Sunday repelled a large-scale Ukrainian attack in the disputed Donetsk region in the east, killing hundreds of soldiers and destroying tanks and armored vehicles.

Ukrainian officials have not confirmed the attack, and The Post has not been able to independently verify Russia’s claims.