The message attributed to Putin, which was transmitted by some social networks, announced the imposition of martial law in these regions and the signing of a presidential decree soon imposing general mobilization in Russia, calling on the local population to evacuate their areas.
Several Russian radio stations that were hacked Monday broadcast a fake speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin stating an “invasion” of Ukraine and announcing the imposition of martial law in border areas, according to the Russian authorities.
Several radio stations in the border regions broadcast this “speech”, confirming that “heavily armed Ukrainian forces … backed by Washington invaded the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions,” according to local authorities.
The voice giving the speech was very similar to Putin’s voice and tone.
The message, attributed to Putin and transmitted by some social networks, announced the imposition of martial law in these regions and the imminent signing of a presidential decree imposing general mobilization in Russia, calling on the local population to evacuate their areas.
The hacking took place against the backdrop of increased incursions and shelling for two weeks in the Belgorod region, where pro-Ukrainian Russian fighters are attacking Russian forces.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies, “It is really a piracy operation, we are aware of it,” stressing that the concerned radio stations have regained control of their airwaves.
For its part, the Belgorod authorities stated that “information about the invasion of Ukrainian forces in the Belgorod region, the imposition of martial law, general mobilization and evacuation … is false information.”
The crisis cell set up by the authorities confirmed through the Telegram application that “the aim of this message is to spread panic among the peaceful population,” calling for “maintaining calm” and relying exclusively on “reliable” sources of information.
In the Voronezh border region, where some radio stations have been hacked, the authorities assured residents that there was “no reason to worry”.
“The situation in the region is under the control of the authorities and law enforcement,” she wrote on Telegram.
Radio “Mir”, one of the targeted radio stations, stated that it lost control of its frequency waves for about forty minutes in the afternoon, stressing that everything that was broadcast during this period was “totally false and provocative news.”
Several Russian radio and television networks were previously subjected to hacking operations in February, which led to the broadcasting of false warnings of air attacks.
