Ukraine Cops Crackdown on Pro-Russian Robot Farm

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Over a hundred people were exposed by the Ukrainian police for being suspected of running online propaganda and misinformation campaigns. Computer equipment, mobile phones, and thousands of SIM cards were seized by the police in the cities of Lviv, Vinnytsia, and Zaporizhzhia.

According to Cybernews, the Ukrainian Cyber police believe that the attackers used special equipment and software in order to register thousands of bot accounts across many different social networks so that they could launch illegal content and promote the Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian Cyber police also said that these Russian digital partisans have- “used fake accounts in social networks to conduct information and psychological operations of the aggressor, justify the actions of the occupiers, and distribute illegal content.”

Furthermore, the police claim that the Russian cyber agents have also distributed the personal data of targeted victims and ran fraud campaigns online.

The police said in a statement, “In addition to spreading hostile propaganda, the accounts were also used for unauthorized distribution of personal data of Ukrainian citizens on the internet, fraud schemes, and sending false messages about threats to citizens’ safety, destruction or damage to property.”

As part of this whole “swoop”, the police conducted over 20 searches, but it is unclear precisely where these searches took place or if they arrested anyone. According to the authorities in Ukraine, more than 100 people were involved.

The Cyber Police of Ukraine reported seizing 150,000 SIM cards, as well as closing 250 internet gateways that apparently were used in the propaganda campaign.

Busts of bot farms are not a new matter as far as Ukraine is concerned, since it has been involved in an ongoing information cyberwar, which is running parallel to the conventional conflict.