New Russian Radio Programming: Ukraine National Anthem

And anti-war protest songs; looks like somebody got hacked
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 9, 2022 1:00 AM CDT
Updated Jun 9, 2022 6:20 AM CDT
Hacked Russian Radio Station Plays Ukraine National Anthem
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting on economic issues via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, June 7, 2022.   (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian radio station Kommersant FM was hacked on Wednesday and was quickly pulled off the air after it started broadcasting Ukraine's national anthem and anti-war songs protesting Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "The radio station has been hacked. The internet stream will soon be reinstated," Kommersant said in a statement cited by the Moscow Times. One of the songs played was "We Don't Need a War" from Nogu Svelo!, a Russian rock band. It features a quote from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov roughly translating to “a tough guy always keeps his word.”

Russian TV stations have also reportedly been hacked since the invasion, and hackers took the country's YouTube alternative offline. It's not clear who is behind this attack, but Metro reports Anonymous has declared cyber war on Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine and has targeted the Kommersant media group, which also includes a Russian state newspaper, in the past. It has also targeted other state-owned media. "People of Ukraine, we have not forgotten you. Putin is still a s---head, and we're still underway in the biggest collective hacking operation #Anonymous has ever undergone," the hacking group tweeted this month. Kommersant is owned by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, said to be a favorite of Vladimir Putin. (More Ukraine stories.)

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