As its 'cyber warfare' campaign against Russia intensifies, the hacktivist collective Anonymous has now turned its sights to Russian soldiers themselves: by offering them payments in Bitcoin in exchange for handing over their tanks.
Ukrainian media reports that Anonymous has amassed more than 1 billion Russian roubles (£7.8 million) and is offering tank crews around £39,000 in Bitcoin for each surrendered tank.
If Russian troops surrender with a white flag and use the passcode 'million', they'll be eligible for the payout.
Anonymous has said: 'Russian soldiers, everyone who wants to live with their families, children, and not die, the Anonymous global community has collected RUB 1,225,043 in Bitcoin to help you."
The offer of Bitcoin is designed to be particularly tantalising to Russian troops at a time when the rouble has collapsed in value following international economic sanctions on Russia.
The value of Bitcoin soared by more than 15% yesterday after the US Treasury announced sanctions against Russian banks and assets. In Russia, Bitcoin is being touted as an alternative currency as Russians face massive price increases almost overnight.
The offer comes as a huge convoy of Russian tanks bears down on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
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Last week Anonymous reportedly hacked some of Russia's main broadcast news networks and websites demanding an end to the war.
The group placed an ominous message of the homepage of several news sites, including Fontakna News, Tass, Kommersant, and Izvestia. It said:
“Dear citizens. We urge you to stop this madness, do not send your sons and husbands to certain death. Putin makes us lie and puts us in danger.
“We were isolated from the whole world, they stopped buying oil and gas. In a few years we will live like in North Korea. What is it for us?
“To put Putin in the textbooks? This is not our war, let’s stop it! This message will be deleted, and some of us will be fired or even jailed. But we can’t take it any more."
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