The American outlet Wired has not reported that a so-called ‘Ukrainian branch’ of the Anonymous hacker collective attacked the U.S. Department of Defense website over a Russian flag image used in a Flag Day greeting. Russian propaganda appropriated Wired’s branding to fabricate yet another disinformation narrative aimed at discrediting Ukraine.
Kremlin-linked Telegram channels and social media users began circulating false claims that a ‘Ukrainian branch’ of Anonymous had taken responsibility for a cyberattack targeting the Pentagon’s website. Pro-Kremlin sources alleged the attack was prompted by an image posted by the Pentagon on U.S. Flag Day, June 14, which supposedly resembled the Russian flag. The disinformation campaign included a fabricated screenshot designed to mimic the appearance of a Wired article.
According to the fabricated report, “the Ukrainian branch of the hacker group Anonymous has claimed responsibility for an attack on the Pentagon website on U.S. Flag Day, allegedly provoked by the use of a tricolor image by the Pentagon. The damage was estimated at $120,000.”
Following the circulation of these reports, StopFake reviewed Wired’s coverage to verify whether the outlet had in fact reported on a Pentagon website attack allegedly carried out by a ‘Ukrainian branch’ of Anonymous. As expected, no such reporting exists — the story was entirely fabricated by Kremlin propaganda.
The Wired screenshot circulating online is a forgery created by propagandists. The American outlet has never published such a report. Since June 14 — U.S. Flag Day — a search for the keyword “Anonymous” on Wired’s website yields five articles, none of which contain any reference to a “Ukrainian attack” on the Pentagon’s website.
Neither the U.S. Department of Defense nor any credible media outlet has reported a recent cyberattack on the Pentagon, let alone one allegedly carried out by a ‘Ukrainian branch’ of Anonymous. Russian propaganda has repeatedly exploited the branding of reputable Western media to lend credibility to its fabricated stories. In one instance, pro-Kremlin actors used Politico’s logo to circulate a fake video claiming online interest in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had allegedly dropped by 63%. In another, they invoked Germany’s Deutsche Welle to falsely report an alleged anti-Ukrainian flash mob in Poland.
StopFake has previously debunked similar disinformation narratives, including claims that Ukrainian hackers were allegedly using WhatsApp to spread propaganda in the United States.
