'The hour of reckoning has come': Ukrainians warn Russians in petrifying TV message after hack (WATCH)
A major hack of Russian state TV left millions of viewers watching a video put together by Ukraine’s defence ministry. The footage showed attacks by Ukrainian forces on Russian troops before images of Swan Lake appeared on screen.
Millions of viewers of Russian state TV were left watching a video created by Ukraine's defense ministry following a major hack. The footage displayed Ukrainian forces attacking Russian troops, followed by repeated scenes from the ballet Swan Lake, which has historically been associated with significant events in Russia.
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Swan Lake, often played on a loop during significant moments in Russian history such as the deaths of leaders or attempted overthrows, appeared on screens during the hacked broadcast. The video concluded with a message in Ukrainian, accompanied by the defense ministry's crest, warning: 'The hour of reckoning has come.'
The hack impacted mainstream state TV channels across multiple time zones, including Channel One and Zvezda, the latter being owned by the Russian defense ministry. Ren TV, owned by a media conglomerate linked to Vladimir Putin's alleged romantic partner Alina Kabaeva, was also affected.
This incident follows a previous hack in June that targeted regions in Siberia and European Russia. Russian officials had vowed to take action to prevent such incidents from recurring.