Thursday, alleged Ukrainian hackers were able to humiliate Russia by sending a message to ordinary Russians’ television screens.
According to the U.K. Sun, hackers posted on Russian television screens, “The hour of reckoning has come.”
The Sun reported that Russia claimed the video was produced by the Ukrainian defense ministry. It featured sequences of Ukrainian forces achieving battlefield victories, as well as the ominous message, which was displayed in white text on a stark black background.
The Russian Defense Ministry’s own channel as well as two state-owned stations were compromised.
The Sun reports that after the footage of the military, clips of ballet performers performing “Swan Lake” were shown.
The U.K. Express reported that after the deaths of several Soviet leaders in the days of the former Soviet Union, video repeats of “Swan Lake” were broadcast.
In June, Russian television was compromised, according to Deadline.
During that time, a “deepfake” image of Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the imposition of martial law in response to an incursion by Ukraine.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov subsequently acknowledged that the incident was the result of a hack, but vowed that it would never occur again.
Last month, Ukraine launched a counteroffensive to regain territory lost to Russia, but progress has been sluggish.
According to The Washington Post, Ukraine’s senior commander, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, has rejected claims that the attack was a failure.
“This is not a show,” Zaluzhny said late last month. “It’s not a show the whole world is watching and betting on or anything. Every day, every meter, is given by blood.”
“Without being fully supplied, these plans are not feasible at all. But they are being carried out. Yes, maybe not as fast as the participants in the show, the observers, would like, but that is their problem,” he said.
He stated that he requires aircraft comparable to Russia’s.
“Nobody is saying that tomorrow we should rearm and get 120 planes. Why? I do not need 120 planes. I’m not going to threaten the whole world. A very limited number would be enough. But they are needed. Because there is no other way. Because the enemy is using a different generation of aviation,” he said.
“It’s like we’d go on the offensive with bows and arrows now, and everyone would say, ‘Are you crazy?’ But with this question, ‘No, no.’”
According to reports, Russia is experiencing morale issues.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 15 July 2023.
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/S5TDxvdwT7
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/qj8XX0UD3R
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 15, 2023
According to Insider, the Russian military fired former Gen. Ivan Popov last week for criticizing his commanders.
Popov publicly bemoaned “the lack of counter-battery combat, the absence of artillery reconnaissance stations and the mass deaths and injuries of our brothers in enemy artillery fire.”
After he was removed, according to Insider, he said, “our senior commander hit us from the rear, treacherously and vilely decapitating the army at the most difficult and tense moment.”