Vladimir Putin must be so upset about the lack of respect coming his way. No longer is he a Russian “superman.” He’s also been driven to flip out on those who resist his massive drafts. People make fun of his shirtless photos and his pickle hideout, sometimes not in that order. It’s not good.
This week, Putin found another wartime low when the Russian ruble stumbled in relation to the U.S. dollar. Much of this, no doubt, is delayed fallout from Western sanctions over Putin’s war atrocities. Yet the ruble being “worth less than one cent” is quite a kick in the Kremlin’s cajones. Now, a hacker is having some fun by modifying a Russian news ticker (from SIA-Press) atop a building, as detailed in a clip tweeted by the Financial Times‘ Max Seddon, who provided the following insight:
As the ruble plummets below 100/$ today, Russian officials are saying there’s nothing to worry about.
But not everyone is convinced: in Surgut, a Siberian oil town, someone hacked this news ticker to say “Putin is a d*ckhead and a thief. 100₽/$ – you’ve lost your f*cking mind”
Business Insider passes on word from indie Russia outlet The Insider (not affiliated with each other), which quotes SIA-Press founder Taras Samborsky:
“The evidence that this is a planned provocation comes not only from the video recording made by an outside observer, but also from the timing of the hack: today, August 13, coincided with a summer festival happening in the heart of Surgut. The attackers clearly made a point to publish the controversial message as citizens were leaving the public event.”
Putin must be incensed over this display, and of course, the Kremlin’s mouthpieces already attempted to blame Russia’s central bank for the ruble mess. That may or may not work out for them.
(Via Business Insider)