Inside Cyber Front Z, the ‘People’s Movement’ Spreading Russian Propaganda

Vice ^ | April 4, 2022, 5:00am | David Gilbert

[Zhang Fei]

Considering Russia spent the last decade waging an online information war against the West, it came as a surprise to many that, days into the invasion of Ukraine, Russia was the one losing the information war.

But they were just getting started, and weeks after the war began, Kremlin allies deployed a new kind of troll farm.

“Attention fighters,” the administrator of the Cyber Front Z Telegram channel told their 65,000 followers on Thursday morning. The Ukrainian singer Jamala was, they said, worthy of an attack. She’d “arranged a photo shoot with the flag of Ukraine in Britain,” the message continued. Jamala was targeted because she had posted a series of photographs on her Instagram account of celebrities like pop star Ed Sheeran and singer Gregory Porter holding a Ukrainian flag.

The administrator, who goes by the name Aleksander Kapitanov, told group members to turn on their VPNs—to circumvent the Kremlin’s ban on Instagram—and post comments ridiculing the singer. Group members were also instructed to reference a conspiracy theory the Kremlin has pushed in recent weeks alleging that the Ukrainian government perpetrated a genocide against Russian-speakers in the Donbas region.

Headquartered in St. Petersburg, Cyber Front Z calls itself a “people’s movement” working to defend Russia. In its rapidly growing Telegram channel, launched on March 11, the group claims it is simply working to combat the flood of fake news and disinformation coming from Ukraine, the U.S., and Western Europe about the invasion—or “special operation,” as Kapitanov unfailingly refers to it.

A review of the channel by VICE News found that the Cyber Front Z army is used to boost pro-Kremlin videos, commentary, and articles on sites like YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. The group has pushed many of the baseless conspiracy theories and narratives that the Kremlin has supported

[Zhang Fei]

Ukraine ping

Vice article heavy on loaded words, much like the media’s Trump coverage. Nonetheless, it appears that Russia employs salaried social media influencers to attempt to sway public opinion in its favor, or at least keep ethnic Russians abroad on the reservation.

[kiryandil]

"baseless"

Yep, David Gilbert is a Schwab sockpuppet all right.

They always use the same catchphrases that they used on ivermectin and vote fraud.

BTW - it's easy to get your Twitter or Facebook account suspended for supporting "Pooty".

This dude is a lying globalist sockpuppet.

[SoConPubbie]

Wow!

Vice News.

Another Paragon of Objectivity where Journalism is concerned.

[kiryandil]

Nonetheless, it appears that Russia employs salaried social media influencers to attempt to sway public opinion in its favor, or at least keep ethnic Russians abroad on the reservation.

Knowledgeable commentators agree that the Russians are getting stomped in the information space.

Their media game is cringeworthy.

or at least keep ethnic Russians abroad on the reservation.

Yeah, I'm sure that cancelling the music kid who disavowed the Ukrainian invasion went a long way towards their propaganda operation keeping Russians abroad on the reservation.

And cancelling Russian dressing, and the Russian Tea Room in New York.

Of course, a failed English major and airhead like David Gilbert tells it like it is...

[Zhang Fei]

[Wow!

Vice News.

Another Paragon of Objectivity where Journalism is concerned.]

---

I get 99% of my news from RT and Sputnik because I know Putin cares enough to hire only the very best and most objective journalists, who tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

[kiryandil]

Another Paragon of Objectivity where Journalism is concerned.

Their reporter once had lunch at the Russian Tea Room, making him a RussiaRussiaRussia expert.

[PGR88]

Nonetheless, it appears that Russia employs salaried social media influencers to attempt to sway public opinion in its favor,

LOL! And the American deep-state and their democrat-statist-corporate cronies control everything from Google to Facebook to Twitter to the US mainstream media and every major TV broadcast media.

After 2 years of hype over Mueller's investigation of Trump "collusion" - what did he come out with? That "Putin's Chef" allegedly bought $100K in Facebook ads in 2016.

the hypocrisy is absolutely mind-boggling. And you eat it up!

[kiryandil]

I get 99% of my news from RT and Sputnik because I know Putin cares enough to hire only the very best and most objective journalists, who tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

I suspect that Pooty's propagandists have more credibility these days than our own Hunter's Laptop Media...    

[SoCal Pubbie]

What are their Freeper handles? Any idea?

[yesthatjallen]

"Kremlin allies deployed a new kind of troll farm."

I, Bot. Inside a Ukrainian Troll Factory (2019)

"Most fake comments were written on the pages of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy — about half of them were either praiseful or neutral. The situation is similar with former president Petro Poroshenko."

[logi_cal869]

Smacks of desperation, dude.

[deks]

Group members were also instructed to reference a conspiracy theory the Kremlin has pushed in recent weeks alleging that the Ukrainian government perpetrated a genocide against Russian-speakers in the Donbas region.

The above has been pushed regularly on the Russia-Ukraine War threads.

[Drago]

And the Ukrainian version:

https://www.ksat.com/news/politics/2022/03/04/ukraine-cyber-official-we-only-attack-military-targets/

General info. (both sides): https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/the-real-story-behind-russia-ukraine-cyber-wars/

I don’t have a dog in the hunt...both sides are corrupt...but “Putie” invaded so he deserves what he gets...the problem being it is the Russian military and civilians that pay the price for his cross-border excursions.

[Zhang Fei]

[What are their Freeper handles? Any idea?]

---

IMHO, this is way too small a pond. There are maybe 100 people who participate in the Ukraine threads here, tops. On platforms like Twitter and Facebook, we are looking at literally hundreds of thousands. That’s where they hang out.

[Prince of Space]

I watch the cable news and get the Ukrainian/globalist version of how the war is going. Then I seek out other information sources like the Duran and Patrick Lancaster only to find an alternative POV about the war. Since there is propaganda on both sides, it’s obvious to most rational ppl that the truth is somewhere in the middle. I’m not a gullible fool who swallows whatever BS the media is selling, unlike many ppl on here.

[SoCal Pubbie]

Hey, I was kidding. Mostly.

[DannyTN]

"it appears that Russia employs salaried social media influencers"

How many of them are on FR telling us we can't help Ukraine because of the nuclear threat?

[Zhang Fei]

[I watch the cable news and get the Ukrainian/globalist version of how the war is going. Then I seek out other information sources like the Duran and Patrick Lancaster only to find an alternative POV about the war. ]

---

That’s what I did, too, for my WWII history. First I looked at the Allied account of things. Then I looked at the German account. That is how I discovered the Holocaust was a hoax, and Treblinka was a day camp, and Zyklon-B was just an insecticide used by exterminators to rid the camp of lice.

[Berlin_Freeper]

Wow!
Vice News.
Another Paragon of Objectivity where Journalism is concerned

You might look into John McCain being dead for almost 3.5 years then get back to us about news sources - LOL!...

For those of you who still don't know who the real McCain is, just follow the links below if you need reminding or enlightening: