Mainstream broadcasters across the Russian empire were targeted in a cyber attack which saw a Ukrainian defence ministry video played during prime-time TV viewing.
The footage showed Ukrainian forces attacking Russian troops, and was followed by the message “ПРИЙШОВ ЧАС ВІДПЛАТИ” which translates as “IT’S TIME FOR RETRIBUTION” or “IT’S TIME TO PAY BACK”
After the message, the hackers displayed the emblem of the Ukrainian defence ministry
Among the television stations hit was the largest outlet in Russia – Channel One.
Another station hit was Zvezda, which ironically is owned by the Russian defence ministry
In a final dig at the Russian leaders, the screens then played a continuous loop of the Swan Lake ballet.
This was a reference to the fact that Russian State TV have history of doing the same after the death of prominent leaders.
The footage was played after the deaths of Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov, and Konstantin Chernenko, and was also shown during the attempted overthrow of Mikhail Gorbachev, which hastened the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Evacuation
In a separate incident, staff at another TV & radio broadcaster were evacuated after an envelope containing a white powder was opened. A number of employees were seen by medical staff but no injuries were reported. The envelope & powder were removed for examination to identify what the powder was,