Hacked buses blare out patriotic pro-European anthems in Tbilisi, attack government

Residents of Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, experienced an unexpected and unusual start to their Friday morning commute. As they boarded their public transport buses, they were greeted by a barrage of sound emanating from the vehicles’ speakers.

These buses had fallen victim to a hack orchestrated by anti-government protestors, who took control of the ticket scanners and point-of-sales devices. In a bold move, they transformed these everyday tools into platforms for political expression, using them to play pro-European music and slogans.

The broadcast messages resonated with many of those on board:

“Glory to Ukraine! Glory to Georgia! **** Russia!”

The hacked devices not only broadcast the national anthem of Georgia but also featured impassioned speeches from former prime ministers declaring their unwavering support for European integration.

The iconic strains of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” filled the air, alongside vulgar remarks about Georgia’s disputed President and former professional footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili.

The bus drivers found themselves powerless to stop the relentless audio barrage, leaving them at the mercy of the hijacked technology. In response, some passengers attempted to block the sound by covering the hacked devices’ speakers, either due to disagreement with the sentiments being expressed or simply yearning for a quieter journey.

Meanwhile, others took to social media to express their support for the hack, sharing their thoughts and experiences with the wider community.

The backdrop to this unexpected musical takeover lies in the ongoing protests that have gripped Georgia since October 2024. These protests were sparked by a general election that was marred by allegations of electoral fraud against the ruling Georgian Dream party. Observers, both independent and internationally recognised, as well as local monitors, concluded that the elections failed to meet the standards of fairness and freedom. In light of these events, the Georgian Dream party has since stalled the country’s progress towards European Union membership.

The Georgia Dream party has since halted the country’s ascension to the European Union.

In an effort to address the cyber attack, Tbilisi City Hall swiftly disabled the compromised systems and announced that commuters could travel on buses free of charge until the systems were restored later that same day.

As of now, no hacking group has publicly claimed responsibility for this disruption of the on-bus payment devices, which are managed by the Bank of Georgia.

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has assured the public that a thorough investigation will be conducted to identify those behind the hack. This incident follows another concerning event just a day prior, when the website of Tbilisi City Mall was reportedly defaced with an anti-Semitic message. Thus far, there is no evidence suggesting that these two incidents are connected.