Russian radio stations play Putin's fake message after hacking: Kremlin

Kremlin officials said Monday that several Russian radio broadcasters were hacked and played a fake speech by President Vladimir Putin speech announcing an invasion from Kyiv’s troops and emergency measures in three regions bordering Ukraine, reported AFP.

The incident of hacking came after several reported incursion attempts and intense shelling in southwestern Belgorod, and, as Ukraine says, it is preparing a long-expected counteroffensive.

The fake message by Putin which is still circulating on social media said that "Ukrainian troops armed to the teeth by Nato and with Washington’s consent and support have invaded the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk territories.”

The voice, very similar to Putin’s, also announced martial law, general mobilisation and the evacuation of civilians in those three regions.

"This was indeed a hack," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited as saying by state-run agency RIA Novosti.

"Control has already been restored."

The Belgorod region administrative centre said the message was a "deep fake" aiming to "sow panic among peaceful Belgorod residents."

The Voronezh region neighbouring Belgorod also warned its residents of a "hacking of radio broadcasting frequencies" and said that "there is no cause for concern."

The MIR radio station said the hacking, which it called "an absolute fake and a provocation", had lasted around 40 minutes.

Offensive thwarted

Earlier Russia announced that its forces successfully thwarted a major offensive launched by Ukraine at multiple locations along the front in southern Ukraine's Donetsk region. 

The clash resulted in the deaths of hundreds of pro-Kyiv troops, according to Russian authorities. It remains uncertain whether this reported attack marks the beginning of a long-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive to reclaim territory seized by Russian forces after the February 2022 invasion.

Russia's defence ministry disclosed that Ukraine initiated the assault with six mechanised and two tank battalions in the southern Donetsk region, an area where Moscow had long suspected Ukraine would attempt to penetrate Russian-controlled territory.

The defence ministry explained that "on the morning of June 4, the enemy launched a large-scale offensive in five sectors of the front in the South Donetsk direction. The enemy's goal was to break through our defences in the most vulnerable sector of the front according to their assessment. However, the enemy failed to achieve its objectives."

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov posted a cryptic message on Twitter Sunday, quoting lyrics from Depeche Mode's song "Enjoy the Silence." 

His tweet read, "Words are very unnecessary. They can only do harm."