The SBU cyber specialists stopped the operation of a troll farm in the city of Chernihiv. The actions of the perpetrators, who used almost 2,500 bot accounts, were remotely controlled by organizers from Russia.

Using the troll farm, the perpetrators were spreading fake information to create panic among the population. In particular, they posted messages to discredit the Ukrainian government and called for the overthrow of the constitutional order. The bots also made hoax bomb threats against critical infrastructure facilities.

The perpetrators used a specialized hardware and software complex to carry out transactions via banned electronic payment systems.

During the search of the organizer's residence, where the troll farm was located, the law enforcement officers seized:

• seven 16-channel GSM gateways;
• two SIM-banks on 128 cards each;
• 370 SIM cards of a Russian mobile operator;
• three laptops, controlling the telecom equipment of the troll farm.

The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.

The operation was carried out by cyber specialists of the SBU Office in Chernihiv region in cooperation with the National Police investigators under the supervision of Chernihiv Region Prosecutor's Office.