The website of Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of Russian state gas company Gazprom, was offline on Wednesday after an alleged hack, in what appears to be the latest hack on a government-associated site following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A statement allegedly from Gazprom CEO Alexie Miller, a close friend of President Vladimir Putin, was briefly displayed on the website.
The statement appeared to show a hacked version of the site making critical remarks about Russia’s decision to send thousands of troops into Ukraine.
The website stopped operating soon afterward.
Last month, Miller urged Gazprom’s 500,000 employees to support the Kremlin to keep Russia’s status as a significant power in the face of pressing foreign sanctions.
“The information published on the site on the morning of April 6 ... is not true and cannot be regarded as an official statement of the company’s representatives or shareholders,” Gazprom Neft said.
Gazprom Neft is Russia’s third-largest oil producer. It is a subsidiary of Gazprom, which holds 96% of its stock. OAO Gazprom owns 95% of Gazprom Neft’s shares, with the remaining listed on the stock exchange.
Last month, multiple Ukrainian news websites were allegedly hacked by Russian threat actors, leaving the ‘Z’ symbol on display to visitors. The State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection of Ukraine confirmed the incident in a web post, attributing blame to Russian state-sponsored actors