During 2022-2023, the SSU blocked the activities of 76 bot farms operating in Ukraine and promoting pro-russian narratives. Illia Vitiuk, chief of the SSU Cyber Security Department, talked about this in an interview for the United24 platform.

"The enemy regularly tries to undermine the situation in the information space of Ukraine. One of the tools of such influence is through bot farms spreading online pro-russian narratives. Since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, the SSU has already blocked 76 such bot farms with more than 3 million accounts," said Illia Vitiuk.

According to him, the SSU successfully counteracts the enemy in cyberspace, repelling massive attacks on state resources, critical infrastructure, telecommunications companies, etc.

In particular, in 10 months of 2023, the SSU has neutralized almost 4,000 cyberattacks.

At the same time, the SSU Cyber Security Department is aware that russia is developing a national system of cyber attacks, introducing relevant subjects into the education programs to involve students in hacking. These activities are, of course, under the control of the special services.

"This is no longer just about intelligence officers. According to our findings, a number of educational institutions are already teaching 'cyberattacks on civilian infrastructure'. They want to increase the scale of attacks and the number of people who can do it professionally. By the way, they teach how to attack not only Ukrainian systems but also those of partner countries," Illia Vitiuk said.

This is despite the fact that thousands of russian hackers, including cybercriminals recruited by russia, are already working against Ukraine. They are funded by intelligence services, whose research laboratories and institutes help develop cyber influence tools.

"They are not hacking for money, but for the destruction of our country. As a result, russian cyberattacks will seriously affect other countries as well," Illia Vitiuk added.

Although russia is testing its cyber weapons in Ukraine, the SSU is comprehensively counteracting russia's impact. Moreover, Ukraine has become a shield against cyberattacks for the entire Western world.

Watch the full interview here.