Russian state media sites began displaying anti-war messages after being targeted in a mass cyber attack.
Sites involved in the hack included outlets including TASS and Kommersant, which had their content replaced with a 'tombstone' for the war.
On the image was the number 5,300, which is the number of Russian soldiers who have reportedly been killed since the conflict began on February 24, and the post also included a message that Vladimir Putin had started the invasion to 'get into the history books'.
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The message warned that it will eventually be deleted and that the attackers could be fired or imprisoned, but indicates they took action because they 'can't stand it anymore'.
It was signed 'Indifferent journalists of Russia', though those responsible for the message appeared to associate with Anonymous, with the posts accompanied by the word 'Anonymous' at the bottom, as well as the suit-wearing figure the group uses as a symbol.
The website for TASS began displaying an error message following the apparent hack, though Sky News cited another message prior to the error that read, 'We urge you to stop this madness, do not send your sons and husbands to certain death. Putin is forcing us to lie and is putting us in danger...It's not our war, let's stop him!'
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The hack comes just days after Anonymous shared a message on Twitter to say it was 'officially in cyber war against the Russian government'.
The warning from the group came after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and in the days since it has claimed responsibility for a number of cyber incidents, The Guardian reports.
Apparent acts from Anonymous include denial of service attacks (DDoS), which render sites unreachable, on government websites and state-backed news service Russia Today. As of Sunday, February 27, the official sites for the Kremlin and Ministry of Defence were still inaccessible.
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Russia Today attributed the issues to Anonymous in a statement, saying, 'After the statement by Anonymous, RT’s websites became the subject of massive DDoS attacks from some 100 million devices, mostly based in the US.'
The group has also claimed to hack Russian state TV channels, after which it posted pro-Ukraine content including patriotic songs and images from the invasion.
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Topics: Russia, Technology, Ukraine
Emily Brown