Three journalists report receiving threat notifications from Apple about ‘state-sponsored attackers’ targeting their devices

Russian journalist Yevgeny Erlikh, who previously served as the editor-in-chief of a Baltic-based news program for the outlet Current Time, revealed in a Facebook post Thursday that he received a notification from Apple that said his iPhone may have been targeted by “state-sponsored attackers.”

Meduza’s publisher and general director Galina Timchenko received a similar message in June, shortly before cybersecurity experts determined that her device had been infected with Pegasus spyware.

According to Erlikh, his phone, like Timchenko’s, had a Latvian SIM card. In an interview with TV Rain, he said that he received the message from Apple in late August and that he was in Germany at the time.

Maria Epifanova, the general director of Novaya Gazeta Europe, and Yevgeny Pavlov, a correspondent for Novaya Gazeta Baltija, also said Thursday that they both received similar alerts from Apple on August 29. Novaya Gazeta Europe noted that Pavlov is a Latvian citizen and has lived in the country his entire life.