A Ukrainian radio station was hacked by Russian hackers to spread fake news about Zelensky’s health

The latest international leader to address potentially unstable claims about their health is the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, who used social media to debunk suspicions that he had lost control of the country after becoming ill.

In a video uploaded to Instagram on Thursday, Zelensky accused Russia of orchestrating yet another cyberattack against Ukraine by disseminating “false news” that he was sick and needed special care.

Officials from Ukraine have in the past retaliated against persistent Russian disinformation attempts. Zelensky has now joined the group of world leaders, such as the presidents of the United States, China, and Russia, whose health has come under scrutiny.

According to state-run news agency Ukrinform, Zelensky was heard saying in the video, “Anyways, I am in the office.” “I’ve never felt stronger than I do right now. Additionally, there is unpleasant news for everyone who spread this incorrect information.There are 40 million people like me; I’m not alone.”

In a post on Telegram on Thursday, Ukraine’s State Special Communications Service claimed that “cybercriminals” had hacked into Ukrainian radio stations to propagate a lie that the head of the Zelensky was incapacitated, and the nation’s parliament assumed leadership.

The statements concerning Zelensky’s health “do not relate to reality,” according to TAVR Media, a Ukrainian station that was attacked, in a Facebook post. The firm claimed it was working to find a solution to the problem.

Zelensky made an appearance in the video while donning an olive green military T-shirt, the style he has been sporting ever since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. With all due respect to old age, 44 is not 70, Zelensky said at the end of the film.

Zelensky, 44, most certainly made reference to 69-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has also been the subject of health-related rumours.

Since Putin began his invasion of Ukraine, there have been more whispers and speculation regarding the health of the Russian president. According to a confidential U.S. dossier that was published last month by Newsweek, Putin received treatment for advanced cancer in April.

However, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for the Kremlin, dismissed Thursday’s allegations of Putin’s declining health as “hearsay.”Similar to this, British tabloids have stated that 69-year-old smoker and Chinese President Xi Jinping has a brain aneurysm but has decided against surgery due to the risks.

Joe Biden, who was 76 at the time, faced rumours that he was secretly coping with major health concerns while he was campaigning for president in 2019.

Zelensky claimed to be unwell on the same day that the White House said that 79-year-old Biden tested positive for COVID-19 and was having “very modest symptoms.”