"Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime". And Russia is currently committing this crime very brutally. The Russian army has been on a destructive course for the last two weeks, to topple Ukraine. And they are still at it, destroying the lives of many in the process. In this time and age, physical warfare sounds very primitive and alienated.
But many are experiencing it across the world. The Middle Eastern Asia countries have borne the wraith of it for decades, and let's just not start on Israel and Palestine. It is high time that we, as humans, understand that nothing good comes from war. The majority of the world is against the barbaric act by Russia on Ukraine and is retaliating by imposing sanctions on goods and financial institutions. Various automakers have also pulled out of Russia.
The Russian stock market is giving locals nightmares, people are hoarding up on McDonald's burgers, and Russian millionaires have lost more than half of their wealth overnight. Strangling Russia non-violently is the agenda, and we appreciate that rather than the full-on military assault that could happen! There has been one interesting rebellious act that has happened in Russia.
Public EV chargers along a highway are being hacked with messages that ridicule Putin and his attacks and praises Ukraine and Zelenskyy's courage. And these hacks are being done by the same people who are involved in building the EV chargers.
EV Chargers were hacked via a digital back door by a Ukrainian company to bad-mouth Putin and hail Ukraine.
A Ukrainian Tech Company Is Responsible For These Hacks
AutoEnterprise, a Ukrainian company, is responsible for these hacks. The display and control units used in these charging stations are made by AutoEnterprise. LLC Gzhelprom, the Russian entity tasked with getting the components for these chargers, had outsourced a few products, one of which ended up in AutoEnterprise's hands.
They left a back door entry open that allows hidden internet access for the maker. It might have been there for technical and service duties. But little did AutoEnterprise know that it would help them to rebel against Russia's inhumane acts.
The EV Chargers Along M11 Freeway Are Affected
The affected EV chargers are located on the M-11 Freeway which is a busy highway that connects Moscow to St. Petersburg. Russia is comparatively low in EV population as compared to other countries, but the little that they have surely passes through this route. A Russian national who got stranded while trying to charge his EV was the first one to notice this cheeky rebellious act.
Most of the EV charging stations are out of order. And while the EV wave might not be as strong as America or Europe, the likes of Nissan Leaf and Tesla offerings are quite popular in Russia. And range anxiety is sure to creep for the unfortunate owners on this route.
The Displayed Messages Are Pro-Ukraine And Anti-Putin
Initially, the charging stations showcased the message - "Call service, No plugs available". But then things get quite interesting. The messages that follow include Pro-Ukraine and Anti-Putin phrases. The pro-Ukraine ones include "Glory to Ukraine", "Glory to the heroes".
And the Anti-Putin ones include "Death to the enemy" and "Putin is a d***head". PUTIN XUJLO (you know what it means!) is not so shocking as this phrase became popular in Ukraine in 2014 following the invasion of parts of eastern Ukraine. It is also very popular among Kharkiv football fans.
No One Appreciates War And Destruction. So The "Charger" Rebellion
We have all anticipated digital warfare and its complications. Well, we are in the midst of such an exercise, with sanctions and financial constraints being levied upon Russia to force them to stop the invasion of Ukraine. We as humans are naive creatures. But we are well past that stage of time when bloodshed and destruction were used to win people and land over.
Russia hasn't passed that class, but the rest of our world seems to know of the repercussions. This "charger" rebellion is a rather harmless way of revolting against Russia's stupidity. Yes, people will be stranded in the cold with no juice in their EVs. But let's just hope that this will give them a hint of what Ukrainians are going through at this time.
Rosseti Is Reviving These Hacked Chargers
Rosseti, a Russian energy company, is working on isolating the affected charging stations and bringing them up online. The one aspect that Russia forgot before going to war was that we are all interdependent on resources and technology.
And this instance of hacked EV chargers is one tiny example. AutoEnterprise is also boasting of these hacks on their Facebook page. It is high time Russia understood the complications and sufferings that people are going through because of this ignorant warfare. And we hope they stop soon.
Sources: Ladbible.com, Electrek.co, Dailymail.co.uk