Social media quiet after Russian bot centres hit, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian strikes on Russian data centres have taken out wide networks of online bots, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed, raising questions internationally about the extent of Moscow’s online interference campaigns.

Ukraine have hit multiple data centres belonging to major tech and AI firm Yandex in Russia in recent days.

“By the way, when we started responding to Russia’s operation against our data centres, and when our strikes reached Yandex’s data centres, it suddenly became a little easier to breathe on many social media platforms,” Zelenksyy told the Warsaw Security Forum.

“A lot of people noticed it. And there was less hate, less division, and fewer provocations. Because there were fewer bots.

“And it’s pretty clear where those bots were coming from – and if they disappeared when Yandex went offline.“

Yandex has confirmed three data centres, in the Sasovo, Kaluga, and Vladimir regions, had been attacked.

The company says it is restoring access but some services remain unavailable.

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Operations at its Vladimir facility were completely suspended.

Internet monitor Cloudflare said on X that automated internet activity from Yandex dropped 99 per cent after the Vladimir strike.

However, that also encompasses all legitimate automated activity, and Cloudflare did not establish whether social media disinformation bots were pushed offline.

Zelenskyy’s remarks come in the way of UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham saying he had seen definitive proof Russia interfered in the Brexit vote in 2016.

The Kremlin has also been accused of attempting to influence the US presidential election that same year which saw Donald Trump seize the White House for the first time.

Zelenskyy, in his speech, said the supposed drop in bot activity showed the source of the political strife plaguing Europe and the US.

“Please do not underestimate the threats to your own countries. There is no such thing as a small act of destabilisation,” he said.

“Our intelligence services know that Russia is planning many aggressive hybrid operations against Europe – against different countries, against your countries.

“Pay attention to every situation that could become a problem. And stay united in your defence. Unity at home is always important when facing threats from outside.”