The Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) orchestrated the hacking of television channels in Crimea to broadcast a speech by President Volodymyr Zelensky on the evening of Nov. 29, multiple Ukrainian media outlets reported on Nov. 30.
Zelensky’s evening address from Oct. 24, during which he addressed “all our people in Crimea,” was broadcast on Russian channels in Crimea at around 9:30 p.m. local time on Nov. 29.
“All of you feel that the Russian presence on our land is not permanent. I know this. Ukraine will reclaim its territory and its people. We will not leave anyone to the occupiers.”
Ukraine will soon have fire control capabilities over Russian-occupied Crimea, Zelensky said.
Speeches by Ukraine’s chief commander, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and HUR Chief Kyrylo Budanov were also broadcast before the screen turned black.
Some locals then reported on social media that the names of all television channels had been replaced with a popular obscenity that uses Putin’s name.
A spokesperson of the Russian-installed proxy authorities in Crimea also said that some Crimean internet providers had also been hacked.
Ukrainian media outlets Suspilne and Ukrainska Pravda said that the television hack was part of a long-term operation against the Russian occupation of Crimea, citing unnamed sources in intelligence.
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