Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ Russia is reportedly using criminal networks, neo-Nazis, and Telegram bots to recruit disaffected elements in the US and Europe to carry out espionage and sabotage. They have targeted English football hooligans and right-wing Americans with a bot called 'Eye of Sauron'. ⬇️

2/ An investigation by 'Current Time' reports that the Russian GRU has been urging Telegram users to cooperate with it during "the most active phase of [Russia's] confrontation with Western evil." A reporter responded to the bot:

3/ "Upon launching the GRU bot, a Sistema journalist was greeted with a message asking to provide Russian military intelligence with 'assistance' in the fight for 'its history, culture, and values' against 'a gang of rabid scum from among the governments of Western countries.'"

4/ "After clicking the "Start" button, a menu appeared with a choice of language (Russian or English), followed by a request to fill out a short questionnaire: how to address the bot user, where they live, what they do for work, and what their motivations are.

5/ "As an experiment, a Sistema correspondent posed as a resident of Riga "with access to various facilities"—residents of the Baltic states are one of the bot's primary target audiences, judging by its distribution channels (more on that later)."

6/ Only three minutes later, a human operator responded: "Good evening. We are glad that there are still Russian patriots left. How can you help us?" After the reporter asked the operator was interested in, they replied:

7/ "The fuel trucks are Ukrainian. Do you know where to find them? ... At the [Riga] port. They [the fuel trucks] are civilian. [We need] to know where they are and take a photo."

8/ The recruitment scheme follows a fairly typical pattern, according to Current Time. A newly recruited operative is given a simple task for a small fee, such as photographing a target or painting a pro-Russian slogan on a wall.

9/ If successful they are given a more complex or dangerous assignment for a larger fee, such as arson. They then repeat until the operative is caught.

10/ On this occasion, however, the recruiter didn't want to pay anything and broke off contact when asked.

"Go for a walk, Vasya [nickname for a Ukrainian]! Fucking disgraceful. They'll pay you a dick. Money is unnecessary. Love for one's homeland should warm and feed oneself."

11/ "Are you seriously asking for money for a photo? There are dozens of people like you in Riga alone. No one thought of asking for money for a photo. Goodbye!"

12/ Russian recruitment bots are advertised by Russian warbloggers and "pseudo-Ukrainian channels" (Telegram channels claiming to be written by pro-Russian Ukrainians). One in ten Ukrainians reportedly reads such channels.

13/ The bots are also advertised by pro-Russian channels which promote anti-Ukrainian, anti-immigrant, Eurosceptic, and generally far-right views. One bot, called 'Eye of Sauron', was promoted in nine European countries and targeted English football hooligans.

14/ The 'Eye of Sauron' bot has also been promoted in the US by pro-Russian influencers who represent far-right and anti-Ukrainian viewpoints. They have been responsible for launching notorious hoaxes such as the false story that President Zelenskyy bought a $75 million yacht.

15/ Some of the channels are part of a network of nearly 200 disinformation websites that publish material from Russian state media and pro-Kremlin Telegram channels in French, German, English, Spanish, and other languages.

16/ They also include Czech and Polish Telegram channels that have become some of the largest channels in their countries and are likely run by the same author or group of admins. Their content often launders material from Russian media outlets that have been blocked in the EU.

17/ According to Current Time, the bots were created and coordinated by the Russian GRU, the Espanyola combat unit (originally formed by Russian football hooligans who wanted to fight in Ukraine), and the neo-Nazi influencer 'Topaz', real name Yevgeny Rasskazov.

18/ Espanyola is reported to be central to this effort. From its relatively modest beginnings, it has grown into a full-sized brigade with its own specialised command center for communications, cyber intelligence and analysis. They are said to provide the bot operators.

19/ Rasskazov, AKA 'Topaz', is a notorious neo-Nazi who was born in Ukraine but says that he has a "sexual desire" to kill Ukrainians. He originally fought in the neo-Nazi Rusich group but moved to Espanyola, where he has become the deputy head of its Melodiya command centre.

20/ 'Topaz' has extensively promoted the 'Eye of Sauron' bot in his other capacity as a social media influencer. As Current Time notes, his Telegram channel was "among the first and most active resources to publish a link to the Eye of Sauron."

21/ Telegram has declined to comment on whether the recruitment bots violate its terms of service. /end

Source:
currenttime.tv/a/systema-oko-…