SSU detains two pro-Russian hackers who created fake accounts of Maliuk and Budanov.

The SSU dismantled bot farms in Kyiv that were conducting information sabotage in favour of Russian intelligence. In the course of complex measures, two organisers were detained; they were massively spreading disinformation about the war in Ukraine and seeking to artificially discredit the Defence Forces.

This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the SSU press centre.

Fake accounts of the heads of Ukrainian special services

As noted, the organisers created fake accounts on social media and messengers, in particular on behalf of the Head of the Security Service and the Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.

"To create the appearance of 'real' pages, these accounts reposted official posts from the SSU and the DIU. However, in personal messages, the criminals lured people out of their money and offered their "help".

They also registered fake pages of Ukrainians from different regions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik-Tok, as well as on Russian Odnoklassniki and Vkontakte. In total, the bot farm's capacity allowed its organisers to generate more than 1,000 fake accounts daily," the statement said.

How the attackers acted

The SSU also notes that the offenders installed specialised software and hardware systems in their own homes to administer them.

The criminals coordinated their actions with representatives of Russian intelligence, from whom they received "manuals" for subversive activities.

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According to the Security Service, the enemy hoped to undermine the socio-political situation in Ukraine and damage the image of our country in the international arena.

During searches of the bot farms' premises, the organisers were found:

• specialised equipment for "growing" fake Internet addresses;
• SIM cards of mobile operators to which the controlled accounts were registered.

Unregistered firearms with ammunition and combat grenades were also seized from the offenders.

Punishment for criminals

The SSU investigators served both detainees a notice of suspicion under Part 1 Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal handling of weapons, ammunition or explosives).

The offenders are in custody. The issue of additional qualification of their criminal actions and bringing to justice other persons involved in hostile bot farms is being decided.

The offenders face up to 7 years in prison.