Hackers target Czech PM's X account, post fake claim of Russian attack on troops near Kaliningrad

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s X account was hacked on April 8, leading to the publication of false posts including a claim that Russian troops had attacked Czech forces near Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.

“The post about the attack on Czech soldiers is not true,” government spokesperson Lucie Michut Jesatkova told Reuters.

Kaliningrad, a heavily militarized Russian territory wedged between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, does not share a border with Czechia, which lies further southwest in Central Europe.

The false post appeared designed to stoke panic or provoke confusion amid heightened tensions between NATO and Russia.

Czechia has been one of Ukraine’s strongest backers since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Prague has supplied military aid, including tanks and artillery, accepted hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees, and consistently supported EU and NATO sanctions against Moscow.

The cyberattack comes as Western intelligence agencies warn of Russia’s efforts to sow disinformation, destabilize European democracies, and prepare for potential military escalation within the next five years.

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The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell