Security News > 2022 > March > Ukraine security agency shutters Russian disinformation bot farms
Ukraine's security agency has shut down five bot farms since the start of Russia's invasion of the country almost five weeks ago, slowing down a Russian operation designed to spread disinformation in the war-torn country and to sow panic among its frightened residents.
In a statement this week, Ukraine's Security Service said the bot farms were located in Kharkiv - a city near the northern border of Russia that has been the site of some of the fiercest fighting - Cherkasy along the Dnieper River that cuts through the country, and the Ternopil and Zakarpattia regions in the western part of Ukraine.
The discovery of the bot farms and the extensive tech operations they were running is the latest example of an extensive cyber warfare campaign the Russians launched in the run up to the February 24 invasion and have continued in the weeks since.
The bot farms were used to spread disinformation about the fighting, including pushing information on how well Russia's own army was supposedly doing and the status of Ukraine's fighters.
The SSU noted that criminal proceedings had already been initiated against the operators under Article 110 of Ukraine's criminal code, which addresses the "Encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine." The Ukrainian security service added that "Urgent comprehensive measures are underway to bring to justice those involved in the aggression against our state."
Shutting down the bot farms is only the latest move by Ukrainian officials to stem the flow of disinformation in the country.