A significant cyberattack targeted Russian state media company VGTRK, which operates the nation’s primary television channels, on the day of President Vladimir Putin’s 72nd birthday. Ukrainian sources allege that Kyiv’s hackers were responsible for the incident.
Early reports indicated that VGTRK’s website was inaccessible and its Rossiya-24 news channel was offline, displaying a “503 Service Unavailable” error when accessed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov characterized the attack as “unprecedented,” confirming that VGTRK was working to mitigate the damage.
Ukrainian officials claimed that hackers used the occasion to launch a large-scale assault on VGTRK, which plays a key role in disseminating news about the war in Ukraine. An unnamed Ukrainian source stated, “Ukrainian hackers ‘congratulated’ Putin on his birthday with this attack.”VGTRK acknowledged the cyberattack but did not provide specific details. Reports suggest that both online broadcasts and internal services have been severely affected, with some sources claiming that hackers wiped data from VGTRK’s servers.
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, refrained from attributing the attack to any specific group but emphasized that Russian media have long been targets of what she termed “the collective West.”
She stated that Moscow would address the incident in various international forums, including UNESCO.
The impact of this attack on Russian media underscores the ongoing tensions and cyber warfare tactics employed amid the conflict in Ukraine. As recovery efforts unfold, VGTRK faces significant challenges in restoring its digital infrastructure.
Philips Babatunde