In Kropyvnytskyi, the SSU cyber units dismantled a bot farm that worked for the russian special services.

As a result of operational and investigative activities, the organizer of the enemy cell was detained. The man moved from Zaporizhzhia to Kirovohrad oblast after the start of the full-scale invasion.

There, he began to create anonymous social media accounts and sell them via the darknet. The specialized hardware was installed in a rented apartment in a residential area in Kropyvnytskyi.

The average cost of one bot was UAH 200 (USD 6).

The bot farm organizer created almost 3,000 fake accounts, which he planned to sell for a total of over half a million UAH.

His main ‘clients’ were representatives of russian special services and pro-kremlin propagandists.

The aggressor needed the bots to spin disinformation on the situation at the front supposedly on behalf of Ukrainian citizens and to discredit Ukrainian Defence Forces.

In this way, the enemy attempted to undermine the internal political situation in different regions of Ukraine.

During the search of the suspect’s rented apartment, the SSU found:

• computers and specialized equipment;
• 3,000 SIM cards used in the unlawful activities.

SSU investigators served the offender a notice of suspicion under Article 436-2 of the CCU (justification, recognition as legitimate, denial of russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, glorification of its participants).

The decision on additional qualification of the suspect’s actions and choosing custody as a measure of restraint is pending.

The SSU carried out the activities under the procedural supervision of the regional Prosecutor’s Office.