'Ukraine remains independent': Russian 'cyber partisans' hackers disrupt Russian TV broadcast with Ukraine war footage on Independence Day
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Ukraine remains independent': Russian 'cyber partisans' hackers disrupt Russian TV broadcast with Ukraine war footage on Independence Day")
Russian 'cyber partisans' hackers disrupt Russian TV broadcast with Ukraine war footage on Independence Day Photograph: (Reuters)
Ukrainian-aligned hackers hijacked 116 Russian TV channels, airing footage of Russia’s war failures, resource crises, and Putin’s stalled invasion, emphasising Ukraine’s continued independence despite years of conflict.
Russian “cyber partisans” hijacked a major TV provider in Russia on 24 August, broadcasting footage that exposed the country’s battlefield setbacks and internal struggles, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR). The Kyiv Independent reported the incident the following day.
What did the hacked broadcast show?
The video, played across 116 Russian channels on Ukraine’s Independence Day, displayed images of fuel shortages, water crises in occupied Donetsk, Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries, and Russia’s battlefield losses. “Three and a half years into the war, and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has not fully captured a single Ukrainian region. Ukraine remains independent,” the video declared. HUR’s source said the hackers also blocked the provider’s administrators from regaining control, making the broadcast harder to shut down.
How many people saw it?
At least 50,000 viewers across Moscow and other Russian regions reportedly watched more than three hours of the footage. The broadcast also spread through apps available on the Apple Store, Google Play, Smart TVs, and cable networks.
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These claims, however, could not be independently verified by WION.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukrainian hackers have routinely targeted Russian platforms. In July, HUR specialists reportedly staged a large-scale attack on Gazprom’s network infrastructure, disrupting operations at the energy giant.
Zelensky: “Ukraine is not a victim; it is a fighter”
In his Independence Day address, President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged that Ukraine would never stop defending its sovereignty. “We need a just peace, a peace where our future will be decided only by us,” he said.
“When Russia wants to take Sumy region, then our armed forces appear in Kursk region. When the enemy strikes our energy system, wanting to leave us without light and heat, then its oil refineries burn. Ukraine has not yet won, but it has certainly not lost. Ukraine is not a victim; it is a fighter,” he added.
Foreign allies marked Ukraine’s Independence Day with high-level visits. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney travelled to Kyiv for talks with Zelensky, while US envoy Keith Kellogg also joined the celebrations. Britain’s King Charles sent a message offering his “warmest and most sincere wishes”, praising Ukrainians’ “unbreakable spirit”. Zelensky described the letter as “a true inspiration” during wartime.
