Russian EV Chargers Hacked, Screen Reads "Glory To Ukraine!"

While areas around Ukraine get free Tesla Supercharging for all EVs, Russia's public chargers are being hacked.

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Steven Loveday

By: Steven Loveday

Mar 2, 2022 at 11:11am ET

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Just the other day, we shared with you that Tesla is offering free Supercharging for all EVs in areas around Ukraine. This is an effort that should help at least some people flee dangerous locations. Meanwhile, it seems public charging stations in Russia have been hacked to display messages supporting Ukraine and denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As you can see in the video above, the screen on the charging station has a message that reads "Slava Ukraini!," which reportedly translates to "Glory to Ukraine!" As YouTube channel The EV Universe points out, the Russian charging stalls were "attacked."

The attack forced the screens to display messages in opposition to Putin. The EV Channel notes that the original video came from a Twitter post by Ukrinform (@UKRINFORM), and The EV Universe shared it both on Twitter and YouTube, with credit to the original. However, at this point, it's making its way all over the internet and social media.

According to details provided by The EV Universe, the electric vehicle charging stations are also displaying messages in support of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The short video includes some dialogue, though it's not in English. In summary, it seems the people taking the video were in Moscow, perhaps on the way to St. Petersburg, though they may have already been to St. Petersburg as well.

The text on the charging station's display screen is written in Russian. As you watch the screen on the video, it also notes (in English) that there are no charging plugs available. While we don't know for sure, the hacking could have also rendered the station inoperable.

What do you think?

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While this is just an individual case, it highlights how technology and hacking can and will be used in modern warfare. We've seen other reports out of Ukraine that authorities requested changes to electronic road signs to confuse the Russian troops.

Reportedly, not only were road signs changed to cause confusion, but they were also programmed to display messages similar to what we see on these charging stations, though some displayed language that's not safe for work.