Two Ukrainians accused of spreading Russian misinformation and infiltrating soldiers’ mobiles
June 14, 2024
Ukraine’s security agency (SBU) apprehended two individuals accused of aiding Russian intelligence in disseminating misinformation and infiltrating soldiers’ mobile devices.
The Security Service of Ukraine, known as SBU, apprehended two persons who are suspected of aiding Russian intelligence in spreading pro-Russian misinformation. They are also accused of infiltrating the mobile devices of Ukrainian soldiers.
The detentions stem from an investigation carried out by SBU agents in cooperation with the Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense and the National Police.
SBU uncovered two bot farms located in Zhytomyr and Dnipro that were spreading Russian misinformation and infiltrating soldiers’ devices. The bot farms disseminated Russian misinformation while posing as Ukrainian citizens.
SBU found that a Zhytomyr resident registered over 600 virtual mobile numbers and anonymous Telegram accounts used by Russian agents. Subsequently, these accounts were sold or leased through Russian online platforms, with the suspect receiving payments in cryptocurrency. According to Ukrainian security officials, Russian operatives employed these numbers in phishing campaigns aimed at Ukrainian military personnel to install spyware on their devices.
The second individual (aged 30), a resident of Dnipro, registered nearly 15,000 bogus social media and messaging accounts using Ukrainian SIM cards.
These fake accounts were then sold on dark web forums to Russian intelligence. The individual has been charged by Ukrainian authorities with offences against Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
In July 2023, the Cyber Police Department of the National Police of Ukraine disabled a large-scale bot farm and confiscated 150,000 SIM cards.
A group of over 100 individuals exploited counterfeit social network accounts to conduct disinformation and psychological operations in support of the Russian government and its stance on the invasion of Ukraine.
This group utilized a substantial bot farm to distribute illicit content, the personal information of Ukrainian citizens, and to commit fraudulent activities.
The cyber police found that the group utilized specialized equipment and software to create thousands of bot accounts across various social networks.
In August 2022, the Ukrainian cyber police (SSU) dismantled a colossal bot farm consisting of 1,000,000 bots that was propagating disinformation and Russian misinformation through social networks.
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