SBU cyber ​​specialists and investigators blocked activities of three bot farms in Mykolayiv and Ivano-Frankivsk cities. Via this bot farms the offenders disseminated destructive content on the eve of the local elections.

In Mykolayiv city, SBU operatives established that with the beginning of election campaign, the offenders actively started to post information to discredit actions of the state and regional authorities. They planned to intensify its activity on the eve and on the day of the local elections.  

The offenders used a number of bots to spread false information. The bot farms provided remote registration in public and socially-oriented Internet resources via Russian web platform.

Allegedly, one of the offenders also administered groups in social networks. A total number of followers tops 300,000. There he posted data containing calls to change the territorial boundaries or national borders of Ukraine.

Within the criminal proceedings, the law enforcement officers seized evidence of illegal activities, in particular, computer equipment, communications and symbols of the aggressor country. They also confiscated bot farm equipment: five 32 ports SIM banks and almost 4,000 SIM cards.

The investigation is ongoing to establish the circumstances of the crime, as well as to find possible links between the offenders and their curators from Russian intelligence.

The law enforcement officers are going to serve a notice of suspicion of tresspass against territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine.

For three years, a local resident of Ivano-Frankivsk city had created tens of thousands of fake profiles on social networks and messengers for his clients via a bot farm.

Allegedly, on the eve of local elections, the offender’s clients became mainly subscribers from Russia. They used anonymous profiles to illegally influence public opinion, disseminate inaccurate and destructive information.

During the search at the offender’s residence, 2 VoIP gateways, 7 USB modems, more than thousand SIM cards and a computer from which he controlled the bot farm were seized.

The pre-trial investigation was initiated for commission of actions aimed at forceful change or overthtow of the constitutional order and tresspass against territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine.

We recall that since the beginning of the year, cyber specialists have blocked the activities of 19 bot farms with a total number of over 60,000 bots, as well as 450 Internet propagandists.