The Kremlin stated Monday that many Russian radio stations were hacked and played a phony President Vladimir Putin address proclaiming an invasion by Ukrainian soldiers and emergency measures in three neighboring districts.
The hacking comes amid reports of three invasion attempts and heavy bombardment in southwestern Belgorod, and as Kyiv prepares a long-anticipated counteroffensive.
The fake message, still circulating on social media, said that “Ukrainian troops armed to the teeth by NATO and with Washington’s consent and support have invaded the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk” territories.
The voice, which sounded eerily similar to Putin’s, also declared martial law, universal mobilization, and the evacuation of the population in those three areas.
“This was indeed a hack,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by the state-run news agencyRIANovosti.
“Control has already been restored.”
The statement, according to the Belgorod region administration center, was a “deep fake” intended to “sow panic among peaceful Belgorod residents.”
The Voronezh region, which borders Belgorod, has also issued a warning to its residents of a “hacking of radio broadcasting frequencies” and said, “There is no cause for concern.”
The MIR radio station said the hacking, which it called “an absolute fake and a provocation”, had lasted around 40 minutes.
