Ukrainian flag during Putin’s visit to Kazakhstan: hackers hacked the LED screen Photo: Screenshot from the video
Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry has announced the opening of a criminal case over an incident involving an advertising LED screen in Astana, which displayed the Ukrainian flag instead of the Russian flag during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit on 27 November, the independent Russian media outlet Meduza reports.
Details of the event
A video of an LED screen in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, located near the Astana Opera House, was shared on social media. The screen was soon switched off, and as of the morning of 28 November, it remained inactive, Interfax reports.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan, the advertising structure belongs to Keruen Media LLP. Various versions of the incident are currently being considered, including technical malfunctions and possible external unlawful interference with the equipment.
The version of a hacker attack
The State Technical Service of Kazakhstan stated that the incident was the result of a hacker attack.
“On 27 November in Astana, one of the LED screens recorded the fact of a short-term replacement of the flag image displayed. Preliminary data indicate that the attack was carried out from foreign IP addresses using proxy servers,” the statement said.
The agency is taking technical measures to determine the source of the attack and the mechanism of interference.
Law enforcement response
The Kazakh police promise to bring those responsible for this incident to justice. An investigation is currently underway to establish whether this action was the result of internal technical failures or organised external interference.
This case sparked active discussion on social media and became another cause for tension in the context of international attention to Kazakhstan.
