Russia state TV issues terrifying warning to citizens after getting hacked

People in Russiawere urged to take anti-radiation pills and rush to the nuclear bomb shelters as TV station servers were taken over in another hacker attack today.

But, according to some commentators, this could be a ploy by the Kremlin to scare people and prepare them for the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine as Vladimir Putinramps up his rhetoric amid the growing confrontation with the West.

‘Urgently go to the shelter’

TV and radio programmes in Moscow and the Sverdlovsk region, including Yekaterinburg city, were interrupted with an alarming message telling citizens a missile strike had been conducted on Russian soil.

The population was urged to take potassium iodide pills and don gas masks to protect themselves and to seek shelter.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry said the hacking was responsible for the false alarm - the third such case in the past month but the first in which viewers were warned to take anti-radiation pills.

The messages in bright yellow read:

Urgently go to a shelter. Seal the premises. Use gas masks of all types. In the absence of gas masks, use cotton-gauze bandages. Take potassium iodide pills. Keep calm. Should you feel worse, go to the nearest medical facility.

Hacked screens displayed an ominous map of Russia, gradually covered with red from west to east.

The screen then showed the instantly recognisable black and yellow radiation warning sign.

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Not the first hacker attack

There were claims that satellite signals broadcasting TV and radio content were disrupted.

A Russian Emergencies Ministry statement said:

A false air raid alert was broadcast in Moscow after servers of radio stations and TV channels were hacked.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, though Russian media has been the target of several hacking attacks since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

One such hacking instance last month saw millions of Russians across four time zones told to rush to air raid shelters because of an imminent missile attack as radio broadcasts were interrupted.

The spoof warning claimed:

An air alert is being announced. Everyone, go to the shelters immediately. Attention! Attention! There is a threat of a missile strike.

In another high-profile hack operation targeting the broadcast of the Russian President's state of the nation address in Moscow, the web links of main state channels were disrupted as Vladimir Putin spoke to lawmakers in Russia's parliament. Instead of his speech, a notice on the screen announced 'Mistake 500' and that 'technical works' were underway.

There was no official confirmation of hacking - but it appeared a major problem had hit the state broadcaster across all 11 of Russia's time zones.

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Sources used:

- Daily Mail: 'Terrified Russians are ordered to take anti-radiation pills and rush to nuclear bomb shelters as TV station servers are HACKED'