Russians were warned today to take anti-radiation pills and rush to the nearest bomb shelters after hackers compromised state television servers to broadcast cold news.
TV and radio programs in Moscow and the Sverdlovsk region, including the city of Yekaterinburg, were interrupted with an alarming message informing citizens that a rocket attack had been carried out on Russian territory.
The population was asked to take potassium iodide tablets, put on gas masks for protection and seek shelter.
Russia’s emergency situations ministry said hacking was responsible for the false alarm – the third such case in the past month, but the first in which viewers were warned to take anti-radiation pills.
An ominous map of Russia, slowly turning red, was broadcast in people’s homes with the message “All at once to safety.”
A warning to Russians to take anti-radiation pills after a missile attack appeared today on television channels in Moscow and the Sverdlovsk region
Since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russian media has been the target of several hacking attacks
A television alert, accompanied by a blaring siren, warned: “Urgent message. There was a strike.
READ MORE: Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant threatened with Chernobyl-like disaster after Russian missiles bombed Ukraine, leaving it without power
“Emergency in an institution. Seal the premises. Use all kinds of gas masks.
“If gas masks are not available, use cotton gauze bandages. Take potassium iodide tablets.
‘Keep calm. If you feel worse, go to the nearest medical facility.”
Hacked screens showed an ominous map of Russia gradually overlaid in red from west to east.
Underneath it was a message in bright yellow: “Everyone go home safe at once.”
The screen then showed the instantly recognizable black and yellow radiation warning sign.
A statement from Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said: “A fake air raid siren was broadcast in Moscow after servers of radio stations and TV stations were hacked.”
There are allegations that satellite signals carrying TV and radio content have been jammed.
Some commentators have claimed it could be a ploy by the Kremlin to warn the public to prepare for war, as Putin ratchets up his rhetoric amid deep tensions between East and West over the conflict in Ukraine.
Responsibility was not immediately claimed, although Russian media have been the target of several hacking attacks since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Another high-profile hacker recently disrupted the broadcast of President Putin’s State of the Union address in Moscow in February 2021
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his annual address to the Federal Assembly at the Gostiny Dvor Conference Center on February 21, 2023 in Moscow, Russia
One such hack last month involved millions of Russians across four time zones told to rush to air raid shelters due to an imminent missile attack as radio transmission was cut off.
The parody warning read: “ An air raid siren will be announced. Everyone goes to the air raid shelters at the same time. Attention! Attention! A missile attack is imminent.’
Affected cities include Belgorod, Stary Oskol, Ufa, Kazan, Novouralsk, Novosibirsk, Pyatigorsk, Tyumen, Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod and Magnitogorsk, as well as a number of places in the Moscow region.
A spokesperson for Gazprom Media, which operates several of the hacked channels, said at the time: “We are dealing with this issue. This will not happen again in the near future.’
Another high-profile hacker recently disrupted the broadcast of President Putin’s State of the Union address in Moscow in February 2021.
The web links of the main state channels that are part of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Company [VGTRK]was hit by what appeared to be a major hacking operation while Putin was speaking to lawmakers in the Russian parliament.
Instead of Putin’s speech, a message on the screen announced “Mistake 500” and that “technical work” was in progress.
There was no official confirmation of the hack, but it appeared that a major problem had hit the state broadcaster in all 11 Russian time zones.
State news agency RIA Novosti later said the outage was the result of a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, but did not name a suspect.
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Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
