Russian Users Report Loss of Online Broadcasting Due to Massive Cyberattack

On October 7, Russian users began reporting the unavailability of online broadcasting from channels of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK), including 'Russia-1' and 'Russia 24.'

Russian media Gazeta.Ru reported, citing an inside source, that “online broadcasting and internal services are down; there is no internet or phone service available.”

The source emphasized that this situation constitutes an “unprecedented hacker attack.”

“This will take a long time to resolve. I heard they wiped everything from the servers, including backup copies. They’ve been operating in emergency mode since 6 am. From what I understand, the problem is very serious, and recovery will require a significant amount of time,” the source stated.

Journalist Alexander Plyushchev stated on his social media that “The entire news complex of 'Russia 1' at Yamstskoye Field has been down since 5 AM. The central controller and all servers failed. Production teams have been dispatched to Shabolovka.”

The publication Fontanka reports that users in Russia are currently unable to access the online broadcasts of “Russia 1” and “Russia 24.” However, digital television broadcasting continues to operate without interruptions.

Earlier in May, hackers breached one of the platforms for broadcasting television channels in the temporarily occupied Crimea.