Russian bot farms are still trolling, even after Ukraine's drone strikes on Yandex
News Source
β’2026-10-13T14:31:31-04:00
π° What Happened
Ukrainian drones hit several Russian data centres belonging to tech firm Yandex. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this hurt Russia's disinformation efforts. He said there was 'less hate, less division' on social media afterwards. Some users also reported less spam and fewer bot posts.
But researchers say that is wrong. The strikes hit Yandex's web crawlers, not its political troll operations. An account that tracks state troll farms says bot traffic is as busy as ever.
π The Backstory
Russia runs large bot farms that spread false stories online. Accounts linked to MAGA and the far-right AfD party are often boosted by them. A Danish analyst said interactions on those accounts actually rose after the strikes. Charts claiming bot activity fell appear to be AI-generated.
Days after Zelenskyy's claim, Kremlin-linked accounts posted fake videos about EU sanctions. The case shows how hard it is to tell real evidence from disinformation.
π― Why It Matters
Fake posts and bot accounts shape what millions of people see online. This story is a reminder to check big claims before sharing them, even when leaders make them.
Ukrainian drones hit several Russian data centres belonging to tech firm Yandex. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this hurt Russia's disinformation efforts. He said there was 'less hate, less division' on social media afterwards. Some users also reported less spam and fewer bot posts.
But researchers say that is wrong. The strikes hit Yandex's web crawlers, not its political troll operations. An account that tracks state troll farms says bot traffic is as busy as ever.
Russia runs large bot farms that spread false stories online. Accounts linked to MAGA and the far-right AfD party are often boosted by them. A Danish analyst said interactions on those accounts actually rose after the strikes. Charts claiming bot activity fell appear to be AI-generated.
Days after Zelenskyy's claim, Kremlin-linked accounts posted fake videos about EU sanctions. The case shows how hard it is to tell real evidence from disinformation.
Fake posts and bot accounts shape what millions of people see online. This story is a reminder to check big claims before sharing them, even when leaders make them.