On the day of Vladimir Putin’s 72nd birthdayRussia has suffered a cyber attack of extraordinary proportions. The target? The state broadcaster VGTRK, the heart of Russian media propaganda, is responsible for broadcasting some of the country’s most important television and radio channelsincluding Russia1 and Russia24. The attack blocked online services and internal broadcasts for several hours, generating a communication blackout which impressed millions of viewers across Russia. The accusations immediately turned towards Ukraine, further fueling tension between the two warring countries.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskovdid not hesitate to describe the event as “an unprecedented cyber action”underlining how hackers have targeted what is for Russia “a crucial hub of the infrastructure”. According to preliminary information, reported by Gazeta.ru, the hacker group known as Sudo rm-RF, linked to Ukraine, was responsible for the attack.
This is not the first time that Russian media infrastructure has been hit, but the attack on October 7 appears to have been particularly targeted and symboliccoinciding with President Putin’s birthday. An anonymous Ukrainian source quoted by Politico stated that “Ukrainian hackers congratulated Putin on his birthday.”
Although from VGTRK they communicated that “everything is working normally now” In the hours following the attack, the severity of the event raised concerns among Russian authorities. Peskov confirmed that “specialists are working to identify those responsible and eliminate the consequences of the interference”, and that “colossal efforts” have been made to reduce the damage. However, sources close to the company have reported that the recovery process may take much longer than expected. In fact, it appears that hackers have deleted data from servers, including backups, making information recovery a time-consuming and complex operation.
The hacker attack comes amid digital escalation between Russia and Ukraine, where both nations have stepped up their offensive capabilities in cyberspace. Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, cyberattacks have become a complementary form of warfare, used to destabilize critical infrastructure and manipulate public opinion.
Although the attack was attributed to pro-Ukrainian hacker groups, the Kiev government has not yet officially claimed responsibility for the action. This modus operandi, maintaining official silence, is consistent with other similar operations conducted by Ukraine-linked groups, who prefer to operate in the shadows, leaving the media and analysts to draw conclusions.
The Sudo rm-RF group is no stranger to these actions: it has already claimed attacks against other Russian targets in the past, including the popular streaming service RuTube. The hackers’ goal in this case was probably to sabotage media coverage of Putin’s birthday celebrations by blocking the broadcast of celebratory programs and documentaries scheduled for that day.
The attack on VGTRK is just the latest example of how the war between Russia and Ukraine is not limited to physical battlefields, but also extends to cyberspace. Already in 2022, several Russian media outlets, including RBC, Izvestia and TASS, were targeted by similar attacks. This type of sabotage aims not only to disrupt communications, but also to undermine public trust in state-controlled media.
As Russian authorities rush to identify those responsible and restore affected infrastructure to full operation, the international community watches with concern. The hacker attack occurred in the same hours in which the Ukrainian armed forces hit with a missile raid the largest oil terminal in Crimea, in Feodosia, a strategic point used to supply Russian troops. Moscow authorities confirmed that the plant was hit and that around 300 people were evacuated. Tensions continue to rise in Crimea, an area of crucial importance to Russia both militarily and symbolically.
Meanwhile, fighting on the front continues unabated. In the last 24 hours, Ukrainian defenses shot down 32 Russian drones and two Kinžal hypersonic missiles headed towards Kiev. The Russian Defense Ministry reported the downing of 21 Ukrainian drones, 12 of them in Crimea. The war, both physical and digital, is escalating, with no signs of respite.
The hacker attack on VGTRK represents a further escalation in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, a war that is now being fought on multiple fronts. Cyber battles not only damage critical infrastructure, but also undermine political stability and trust in government systems. As Moscow seeks to contain the damage and restore control over its media, tensions remain high, and cyberspace continues to be one of the most unpredictable and lethal battlefields.
