Anonymous Hack Russian TV Stations To Broadcast What Is Happening In Ukraine

The Hacker collective 'Anonymous' claims they have hacked into Russian TV stations to broadcast what is happening in Ukraine.

As a result of high levels of censorship in Russia, and a state-controlled monopoly over news output, many Russians are unaware as to what is happening in Ukraine in detail, particularly since the invasion of the country 4 days ago.

In a statement, Anonymous said:

"The Anonymous collective is officially in cyber war against the Russian government."

Adding in a tweet:

"The #Anonymous collective has taken down the website of the #Russian propaganda station RT News."

Anonymous also claimed to have taken down several Kremlin related websites and the website of major Russian broadcaster RT (formerly Russia Today). These websites are believed to have been subject to what are known as 'denial of service attacks' or DOS.

Cyber-attacks are regarded as a key element of modern warfare and can be used to attack infrastructure such as energy and water plants, as well as communications infrastructure. In return, governments and militaries now spend huge amounts of money training individuals to defend against such attacks.

Russia is also said to have carried out cyber-attacks on Ukraine prior to the invasion, with banks being targeted, meaning many people were unable to take money out of their bank accounts at ATMs.

Anonymous is not an organised group, but rather, a diverse collective of individuals who go after individuals and organisations they disagree with. In the past, they have targeted Islamic extremists and the Ku Klux Klan, as well as government agencies and organisations as diverse as the Church of Scientology.

Anonymous posts online are often carried out by an individual in a mask as seen in the movie V for Vendetta, and as such, they have become a common feature of protests across the world.

[Based on reporting by: The Daily Mail]