Crimean officials say hackers interrupted and inserted Ukrainian President Zelensky’s speech into television broadcasts in the region.
TV viewers in the Crimean peninsula reported on January 25 that the programs they were watching were suddenly interrupted by a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for about a minute before the problem was fixed.
Crimean authorities accused hackers of hacking regional television and blamed Ukraine’s intelligence service for the “prank”.
“While the situation on the front lines was getting worse, the special units of Ukraine resorted to infiltrating the broadcast and showing Mr. Zelensky’s image. Broadcasting of TV channels is now stable as usual. “, media adviser to the Crimean authorities Oleg Kryuthckov told RIA Novosti.
Russia annexed Crimea after a 2014 referendum. The US, the West and Ukraine called the move illegal, and Kiev has repeatedly vowed to take back Crimea.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks in Kiev on January 24. Photo: AFP.
Spectators in the Russian province of Belgorod also reported similar incidents. Belgorod is a province in western Russia, close to the border with Ukraine. The Belgorod provincial government has not accused any party of being behind the TV incident, saying it is investigating.
The Ukrainian side has not yet responded to the information.
During the Russian-Ukrainian war, television broadcasts on both sides had several interruptions. In June 2022, an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin was inserted on Ukraine’s sports television channel instead of the scheduled World Cup football match.
The Kremlin on January 19 warned Ukraine that attacking Crimea was a “dangerous” action, after it was reported that Washington was trying to help Kiev implement this plan. When asked if Washington would seek to prevent Ukraine from using US weapons in Crimea, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said on January 18 that the peninsula was part of Ukraine and that Washington was providing Kiev with the necessary equipment. necessary to defend its territory.
Ngoc Anh (Theo RT/RIA Novosti/Reuters)