Authorities blame hackers after air raid sirens sound over radio in multiple Russian cities

The sound of air raid sirens played over radio stations in at least nine Russian cities on Wednesday, according to the Telegram channels Baza and Ostorozhno, Novosti.

“Attention: an air raid alert is in effect. Proceed to shelters immediately. Attention, attention, missile strike threat,” a voice was heard saying on multiple radio stations in Pyatigorsk, Tyumen, Voronezh, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Magnitogorsk, Stary Oskol, Ufa, and Novouralsk.

Voronezh regional authorities said that the announcement was not genuine and accused “collaborators of the Kyiv regime” of hacking the radio stations, according to the Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti. Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry later released a statement confirming that the radio stations were hacked.