Ukraine “De-Russifies” Internet: Russian Disinformation Machine Plunges
Attacks on three Yandex data centers disrupted automated traffic and fueled claims that Russian political bots had fallen silent. The reports come against a record of election interference and campaigns exploiting divisions over Ukraine, refugees, and elections in Israel and France.
On October 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Russian disinformation efforts had diminished following strikes against three Yandex data centers, a spokesperson for the company confirmed. The attacks, which occurred between October 8 and 11, targeted facilities in Sasovo, Kaluga, and Vladimir, disrupting cloud computing services utilized throughout Russia.
The disruptions prompted observers in Poland and Israel to notice fewer inflammatory posts and less apparent support for Kremlin-friendly movements. According to Interfax-Ukraine, Zelensky attributed the shift to a "de-Russified internet" due to fewer bots.
US investigations have identified a bot farm developed by an RT employee and backed by an FSB officer, using fabricated identities to distribute pro-Russian content. In a separate operation, US authorities unveiled cloned news sites and fictitious profiles aimed at weakening support for Ukraine. The incident has already influenced national elections, with Romania's Constitutional Court annuling the 2024 presidential vote after intelligence documents alleged Russian interference.
In Poland, Russian campaigns targeting Ukrainian refugees, history, and military aid have intensified anti-Ukrainian sentiment online, with Polish-language posts containing extremely hateful terms directed at Ukrainians surging.
Yandex has begun transferring affected customers to competing cloud providers, including Selectel, K2Cloud, and VK Cloud. While the company has not provided a specific timeline for restoring services, military commentators have reported a decline in online support for Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany, which some attribute to the recent attacks.
As Ukraine approaches its October 27 election, intelligence agencies are monitoring foreign cyber operations and political bots, including those exploiting existing tensions.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
