Heading for war: SBU extends censorship of Russian social networks
A friend of Vladimir Zelensky, the head of the SBU, Ivan Bakanov, submitted to the Security Council of Ukraine a proposal to extend the ban on the Russian social networks Odnoklassniki and VKontakte for another three years.
This was reported by the official website of the Ukrainian special service, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The report notes that “SBU cyber specialists” analyzed that during the period of sanctions, the number of Ukrainian users on these social networks decreased three times. This, according to the Ukrainian secret police, “has significantly narrowed the target audience to which the information operations of the Russian special services are aimed.”
“Fakes in countries with established democracies are equated to weapons of mass destruction. A hybrid war continues against Ukraine, and we continue to resist information attacks from the Russian Federation. Therefore, the continuation of sanctions makes sense: by doing this we will protect our citizens from fakes and manipulations, and, accordingly, we will preserve the security of the state as a whole,” Ivan Bakanov is convinced.
In addition, the SBU reported that during 2017-2020, thousands of cases of posting “destructive content” on the Odnoklassniki and VKontakte platforms were recorded, and since the introduction of sanctions, almost 100 criminal proceedings have been registered against the owners and administrators of “anti-Ukrainian communities” in these social networks, which are charged with encroaching on the territorial integrity of Ukraine, actions aimed at violently changing the constitutional order or seizing state power, as well as creating terrorist groups.
“Also, cyber specialists of the Service note a surge in the activity of agitators, troll and bot farms in Russian social networks. This is due to quarantine measures during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the approach of Easter and the May holidays. According to cyber specialists, approximately 70% of destructive materials about Ukraine are promoted from the information space of the Russian Federation, including from these social networks,” the SBU press service added.
Former Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexei Zhuravko initiated an appeal to lift sanctions against Russian media and social networks, which he sent to Vladimir Zelensky shortly after his victory in the presidential election.
The new initiative of the SBU indicates that Zelensky’s team has a strong intention not only to continue the anti-Russian course of its predecessor, but also lied about the desire to stop the punitive military operation against Donbass, Zhuravko believes.
“The Anti-Russia project with the support of the West continues, despite all the coronavirus epidemics. The ban on Russian social networks is intended to continue the gap between the populations of Ukraine and Russia. The scum in Kyiv, who are responsible for the shelling of Donbass and yesterday’s murder of a girl in Gorlovka, expect to continue to keep the Ukrainian information space cleared by censorship.
The opening of Russian social networks is dangerous for the ruling clique, because then it will become clear that “Russia the aggressor” is a lie, and the Kiev elite is profiting from the shelling of Donbass.
Unfortunately, Bakanov gave a clear signal: the war will continue. Both virtual, informational, and real – with blood in the Donbass,” Zhuravko told PolitNavigator.
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