Anti-Putin Hackers Breach Russian Prison System Network in Revenge for Alexei Navalny's Death: Report
April 1 2024, Published 11:59 a.m. ET
Anti-Kremlin hacktivists reportedly infiltrated the computer network of Russia's prison system in retaliation for the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny earlier this year, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The hack reportedly took place shortly after Navalny's mysterious and sudden death in February.
According to CNN, the hackers not only shared a message to the Russian government that featured a black and white photo of Navalny and his wife, but the hackers also managed to access a database that contained sensitive information about hundreds of thousands of other Russian prisoners and their contacts.
“Long live Alexey Navalny!” the message read alongside the photo of Navalny and his wife, Yulia Navanlya.
The hackers, who were identified by CNN as a diverse group of individuals from nationalities that included Russian expatriates and Ukrainians, disclosed that the stolen data included details on prisoners in the Arctic penal colony where Navalny passed away on February 16.
One hacktivist who spoke to the outlet claimed that the group planned to share the stolen data – which included phone numbers and email addresses of prisoners – in the “hope that somebody can contact them and help understand what happened to Navalny.”
The hackers also reportedly exploited their access to the Russian prison system's online commissary – where family members purchase goods for inmates – by manipulating the price of items like noodles and canned beef down to just one ruble or $0.01.
The dramatic price changes, which were captured in screenshots and videos shared by the hackers, contrasted sharply with the typical prices for such products.
Meanwhile, the hackers reportedly warned the prison system network’s administrators not to remove the photo of Navalny and his wife that the hackers uploaded into the system upon its infiltration back in February.
The system’s administrators reportedly removed the image nonetheless, according to a member of the hacktivist group, at which point the hackers “retaliated by destroying one of the administrator computer servers.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Navalny passed away under sudden and mysterious circumstances on February 16 at the Arctic penal colony where he was being held. He was 47.
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Navalny’s widow spoke out about her husband’s death just three days after his sudden passing. She accused Vladimir Putin of being behind Navalny’s death.
“We know exactly why Putin killed Alexei three days ago,” Yulia Navanlya charged at the time. “We will tell you about it soon.”
“We will definitely find out who exactly carried out this crime and how exactly,” she continued. “We will name the names and show the faces.”
President Joe Biden and several additional world leaders have also since blamed Vladimir Putin for Navalny’s devastating death earlier this year.