‘Shown the Reality of War’ - HUR Hacks Multiple Russian TV Channels

Sources from within the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) told Kyiv Post that its cyber specialists had successfully launched an attack against Russian TV servers, which caused regular programming on several TV channels to be replaced by videos giving details of the war in Ukraine.

“HUR ‘hacked’ Russian television and exposed the reality of the war [to its people],” the source said.

According to the HUR, its video was aired three times during prime time on Russian channels such as Pervouralsk, Evraziya 360, and Pervyj Kanal TV, among others. Some of the targeted channels are owned by local oligarch Andrey Komarov.

Russian cyber security experts tried to resolve the situation, but their actions inadvertently led to the shutdown of these nine Russian TV channels: Evraziya 360, Evraziya Pervyj Kanal, Pervouralsk TV, Luhansk 24, Pervyi Respublikanskyi, SpB, Oplot, TV-3, and First Russian.

“These countermeasures were not enough to prevent HUR’s cyber specialists from maintaining access to the television companies’ servers,” the source added.

As a result, several TV channels were forced to halt their broadcasts for an extended period, which was met with public complaints from their viewers. By Thursday morning, Aug. 22, only two, Evraziya 360 and TV-3, had managed to partially resume normal service, while the others remained off the air.

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Lat month, a Ukrainian Intelligence cyber operation successfully hacked Russia’s banking and payment systems, causing widespread disruption. The cyberattack, which began on July 23, severely impacted payment systems, mobile banking apps, public transport payments, and more.

Major banks like Alfa-Bank, Sberbank, and Tinkoff experienced significant outages, while mobile operators and internet providers across Russia reported service interruptions.

On July 15, HUR, in collaboration with a volunteer hacker community, targeted around 100 Russian web resources, focusing on companies supporting Russian state agencies involved in the war against Ukraine.