The SSU’s cyber units jointly with the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine have blocked a large proxy centre in Poltava, which the aggressor used for subversive activities against Ukraine.

As a result of the operation, organizers of the unlawful activity - two residents of Poltava and Kharkiv oblasts - have been detained.

These individuals set up a clandestine proxy centre, which operated as a VPN service enabling subscribers from any country to pose as Ukrainian mobile Internet users.

The cost of such a ‘subscription’ was almost UAH 2,500 per month (USD 67).

According to the intelligence, the centre had hundreds of ‘orders’ daily and received money through banned payment systems.

Among their regular customers were russian citizens who used such services for hiding their IP addresses to access popular social networks.

The servers of the enemy ‘cell’ were located on the territory of the aggressor state.

This allowed russian special services to remotely access Ukrainian Internet space and spread kremlin narratives and fakes as if ‘on behalf of Ukrainian citizens’.

During the searches, the SSU found:

• special hardware;
• USD 120,000 and 500 gr of gold;
• mobile phones and records with evidence of the offence.

The organizer of the proxy centre has been served a notice of suspicion under Article 200.2 of the CCU (unlawful actions with money transfer documents, payment cards and other means to access bank accounts, electronic money, equipment for their production).

The investigation is underway to establish all the circumstances of the crime and bring the offenders to justice.

The SSU exposed the offence jointly with the ESBU’s Territorial Department in Kyiv and Kyiv region under the supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office.