Is Zelensky right to say data centre strikes have taken down Russian bots?
BBC Verify reports that there is no evidence to support claims that Ukrainian strikes on Russian data centers have significantly reduced Kremlin-linked bot networks. While Yandex services were disrupted, experts clarify that the decline in bot activity cited by some is a misinterpretation of technical network data.
Why it matters
Distinguishing between actual cyber-warfare impacts and misread technical data is essential for understanding the reality of digital influence operations.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Richard Irvine-Brown , Shayan Sardarizadeh and Adam Durbin , BBC Verify BBC Claims that Ukrainian strikes on Russian data centres reduced Kremlin-linked bot networks have spread widely online, but experts have told BBC Verify there is no evidence the attacks have significantly reduced them.
Viral social media posts have claimed there has been a significant drop in influence operations in recent days, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggesting on Monday there was "less hate, less division and fewer provocations" online because of "fewer bots".
Russian influence operations, which promote pro-Kremlin narratives and spread disinformation, have been tracked by researchers and journalists including BBC Verify for more than a decade.
These campaigns push disinformation on to people's social media feeds on issues like the Ukraine war or post messages in support of Moscow's interests.
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