MILLIONS of Russians were warned "the hour of reckoning has come" during prime time viewing after Putin's state TV was hacked.
Mainstream broadcasters across the Russian empire were plastered with the ominous message after cyber forces breached their network.
The video was reportedly made by Ukraine's defence ministry and showed rolling footage of their advancements on the battlefield.
It then cut to a blacked-out screen as the warning "the hour of reckoning has come" appeared in bold white Ukrainian words.
Bizarrely, video of ballerinas from Swan Lake then appeared.
It has been reported the ballet was played on loop decades ago after the death of top brass in the Soviet Union, prior to its collapse in 1991.
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Not only did the hack impact TV viewing in the Urals and Siberia, but some of of Russia's largest channels fell victim to the "Ukrainian sabotage attack".
Russian defence ministry owned Zvezda, Putin's Channel One and Ren TV were also hacked – causing great embarrassment to the Russian despot.
Meanwhile, six staff from Putin's main TV propaganda outlet were evacuated after a poisoning scare.
A suspicious envelope holding white power was reportedly opened in the building – sparking widespread panic among workers.
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The half dozen who came into contact with the suspected poison were ushered outside and placed in an ambulance.
The powder was taken for analysis at a nearby laboratory, according to reports.
No one has died as a result of the suspicious incident and cops are investigating.
It comes as Russia suffered another humiliating cyber attack in June.
Televisions screens across Krasnoyarsk, Tyumen, Kursk and Kaliningradall appeared to show an "emergency" broadcast from a "deepfake" Putin.
The tyrant appeared to impose martial law across the regions – while declaring a full-scale mass mobilisation in response to an "incursion" from Ukrainian forces.
Appearing like an official address from Putin, he was heard saying said: "Fellow citizens, brothers and sisters.
"At 4am today Ukrainian troops, armed to the teeth by the Nato bloc, with approval and support from Washington, have entered the territories of Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions.
"Our border guards and armed forces are fighting back the superior troops of the aggressor."
As the fake Putin imposed martial law and order a mass mobilisation, he added: "The enemy will be destroyed, the victory will be ours."
At the time, Russian officials vowed action to stop it happening again.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted the Putin "emergency appeal" was a "hack".
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It was unclear who was behind the hack across TV and radio stations – but Russia immediately blamed Ukraine.
The humiliating hack comes as Kyiv and Putin get locked into the biggest cyber war the world has ever seen, British spy chiefs have revealed.
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