March 01, 2023

Ukrainians Hack the Airwaves


Ukrainians Hack the Airwaves
A person listening to "Sputnik in Crimea" in their car as a message from the Ukrainian chief of Military Intelligence was playing.  ASTRA, Telegram.

Hackers took over radio frequencies in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, and broadcast the Ukrainian anthem, followed by a message from Ukraine's chief of military intelligence. This incident occurred a day before the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian chief of military intelligence addressed listeners in Russian:

Citizens of Ukraine, this is Kirill Budanov addressing you. Ukraine will regain all invaded territories. Donbas [and] the Autonomous Republic of Crimea will always return home. We will find every traitor to Ukraine, wherever they may be hiding. All of them will be liquidated. To all patriots: the time to act has arrived. Wait. We will come to you. Glory to Ukraine!

Crimeans quickly took to social media with recordings of the broadcast. The radio stations Sputnik in Crimea, Vera, and Crimea government officials confirmed the hack. Control over the frequencies was restored later the same day.

On February 22, a similar incident occurred inside Russia. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, radio stations in Voronezh, Belgorod, and Kurgan oblasts played an air raid alert and false information on a possible missile strike. The fake announcements were broadcast via the radio stations Relax FM, Comedy Radio, Avtoradio (Car Radio), and Yumor FM (Humor FM).

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine is ready to return Crimea to Ukrainain control, be it by peaceful or by military means. 

You Might Also Like

Notes at the Front

Notes at the Front

Musicians have not been spared from the criminalization of protest and expression. We also share Ilya Yashin's final words.
Another Political Prisoner
  • February 20, 2023

Another Political Prisoner

A court in Barnaul sentenced an independent Russian journalist for "fake news" about the Russian army.
AI Will Watch You
  • February 13, 2023

AI Will Watch You

Russian authorities plan to use artificial intelligence to scour the interwebs for undesirable political information.
Dangerous Dreams
  • December 23, 2022

Dangerous Dreams

Russians are being fined for their dreams, "likes," and "silent support."
A Dangerous Film about Dangerous Wars
  • May 10, 2019

A Dangerous Film about Dangerous Wars

Pavel Lungin’s controversial film Братство is nothing new, but its political context is — and that’s what makes it so dangerous.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955