Hackers hit Czech PM’s X account, post fake Russian attack claims

Prague, April 8 (ČTK) – Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s account on the X social network was hacked early Monday morning, according to government spokeswoman Lucie Michut Jesatková. The breach led to the publication of false posts, including claims that Russian forces had attacked Czech soldiers and that the Czech Republic was preparing sanctions in retaliation for U.S. tariffs.

“Despite all security measures, the prime minister’s X profile was compromised this morning,” Jesatková said.

One post, published before 6 a.m., falsely claimed that Russian troops had attacked Czech soldiers near the Kaliningrad border. Jesatková confirmed the report was untrue.

Other posts, which appeared in both Czech and English, mentioned the preparation of sanctions against the U.S. in response to tariffs. These posts disappeared from the account shortly after they were published.

Although the language used in the posts was free of spelling and grammatical errors, they stood out for another reason—all included links to live video. However, each supposed broadcast displayed only a static image with no audio.

This is not the first time Czech government institutions have been targeted. In 2023, hackers attacked websites belonging to the Office of the Government and other state bodies. The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs also suffered a cyberattack last year.