Is Zelensky right to say data centre strikes have taken down Russian bots?
Summary
Claims that Ukrainian strikes on Russian data centres have reduced Russian online bots spreading pro-Kremlin messages lack solid proof. Experts and researchers say the attacks have not caused a clear drop in the activity of Russian bots used for spreading disinformation on social media.Key Facts
- Ukrainian forces hit three of Yandex’s five data centres since October 8, affecting the Russian tech giant’s services.
- Yandex is often called “Russia’s Google” because it runs a big search engine and other internet services.
- Ukrainian President Zelensky mentioned seeing “less hate, less division, and fewer provocations” online recently, but clarified this referred to general atmosphere, not bot activity.
- Social media posts misinterpreted data from tech company Cloudflare showing less automated internet traffic from Yandex’s network.
- Cloudflare explained that its data includes various automated web actions, not just social media bots spreading disinformation.
- Researchers tracking Russian influence groups say known Russian bot networks remain active despite the strikes.
- Bots have many uses, including scanning websites for search engines, not just spreading false or political content.
- Experts say Yandex may have reduced some automated functions unrelated to disinformation after the strikes.
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