'Cyber partisans' hack Russian TV, broadcast battlefield casualties and 'truth' about war, HUR source claims
Russian "cyber partisans" hacked a Russian TV provider on Aug. 24, broadcasting footage that revealed the country’s real battlefield and internal situation, a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent on Aug. 25.
The video showing Russia’s fuel crisis, water shortages in occupied parts of Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries and Russia's military losses, was aired simultaneously on 116 television channels on Ukraine's Independence Day, according to the source.
"Three and a half years into the war, and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has not fully captured a single Ukrainian region. Ukraine remains independent," the video says.
The source claimed that the "local cyber partisans" also blocked access for the provider's administrators, making it more difficult for them to interrupt the unauthorized broadcast.
At least 50,000 viewers in Moscow and other Russian regions were reportedly shown over three hours of footage. The broadcast also appeared on apps via the Apple Store, Google Play, Smart TVs, and other cable networks.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports.
Ukrainian hackers have also been attacking Russian online platforms on a regular basis since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
In July, cyber specialists from HUR reportedly carried out a large-scale cyberattack against the network infrastructure of Russian energy giant Gazprom, causing significant disruptions.
