09.08.2024 Cybercrimes

Ukraine is under information occupation. Is the government using telegram channels to racketeer businesses?

Читати анонімні Телеграм-канали ― це як їсти зі смітника» - Тернопільський прес-клуб

Joker, Dark Knight, and Whisperer are anonymous telegram channels that are popular among the Ukrainian population. They publish shocking revelations and seem to know the full dossier of each corrupt official. They do not hesitate to publish personal data and complete lies.

And if the real face of the Joker is already known, it turned out to be the failed Servant of the People Roman Kravets, who, thanks to business racketeering via Telegram, managed to buy a number of expensive cars, real estate, and even maintain his own security detail that accompanies him every hour. The others, as they like to call themselves: “truthers,” are still hiding behind fictitious names.

We conducted an extensive research and managed to contact the administrators and owners of the most famous telegram channels that distribute ISIS and paid-for content: Dark Knight, Sheptun, Insider UA. We will reveal the chronology of the analysis in the upcoming video, but for now, let’s lift the veil on the main points.

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight turned out to be an ordinary Kharkiv official who has established ties to the region’s leaders – representatives of the OPFL and the Servants of the People. Read more about his identity, reaction to the exposé, and attempts to divert attention through an imaginary change of administrators in the new investigation.

The anonymous Insider UA has a more interesting story, with more than 1 million readers. They are happy to publish not only Ukrainian news, but any other content, for which they ask for almost $2,000. Insider UA has repeatedly published articles about the NGO Non-Stop and its head, Kyrylo Yakovets, without obviously investigating the veracity of such articles. Why, if the main thing is to receive a reward?

Insider UA

Thanks to our technical specialists, we managed to find out who was behind the publication of content on the anonymous Insider UA. Thus, one of the administrators turned out to be a certain Andriy Sakharov. Not a politician, not a prominent figure, and not an oligarch. So what interesting things can be told about this unknown man? The answer is a lot. For example, that Sakharov is the owner of the Insider Help Charitable Foundation and the individual entrepreneur of the same name, which specializes in providing advertising services. Thanks to the former, Insider UA has raised funds to help the Defense Forces several times. But was the money raised accurately directed to meet the needs of the Armed Forces?

There are some doubts. At least because during the Great War, Sakharov became the owner of a brand new Mercedes Benz S580 made in 2023. By the way, the man’s wealth is what gives away his true field of activity and possible affiliation with the publication of jeans and IPSO for money on Insider UA.

Sakharov owns another car, an AUDI RS Q8 made in 2020, as well as 3 apartments in Irpin and 2 in Sofiivska Borshchahivka.

And most importantly, while “ordinary” Ukrainians are defending the country’s borders, people like Sakharov are easily traveling the world. During the war, he managed to visit the Maldives, Paris, Milan, Dubai, and Geneva. For the record: Sakharov was born in 1994, which means he falls under the category of persons liable for military service. So on what grounds can a man of mobilization age travel the world so easily?

We will find out the answers to this question from representatives of Ukraine’s regulatory and law enforcement agencies. Thus, we have already collected and sent materials with a number of demands, including: to check the Insider Help ICF, the Insider UA telegram channel, Sakharov’s sources of income, and the grounds for his travels abroad. In addition, we also have the accounts of Sakharov’s cryptocurrency wallets, which we will also initiate blocking.

The Whisperer

Another anonymous telegram channel distributed by IPSO is Sheptun. It has been recognized by the National Security and Defense Council’s Center for Countering Disinformation as disguised as a patriotic resource. But this did not stop it from continuing to actively spread pro-Russian narratives. And although the SBU had already investigated the involvement of a collaborator who fled the country, after the publication of a paid-for material about the NGO Non-Stop, the SBU Main Directorate personally initiated criminal proceedings on the facts set forth in the publication of the traitorous source. So where is the logic of the special forces? Especially after their statement: “Do not trust or disseminate information from this channel! The connection with Russia, which the Security Service of Ukraine exposed, cannot disappear without a trace.”

We will tell you who is behind Sheptun in a new video. The sequel is coming soon.

Blocking Telegram

Perhaps it is not for nothing that the authorities are increasingly concerned about the influence of Telegram channels on the perception of information by Ukrainians? By the way, recently the Servant of the People Poturaev said: “Either Telegram enters into a dialog with Ukraine, or it should be closed, like Vkontakte.

“We do not have the resources to regulate Telegram, because it is not in our jurisdiction. But it can be shut down,” said the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy.

So how do we deal with anonymous sources that spread false and paid-for information? Write in the comments.

We would like to remind you that technical specialists of the non-profit organization are ready to assist in identifying fraudsters and tracking the movement of funds regardless of the location of both the victim and the perpetrators. In case of fraud, we will initiate criminal proceedings, draw the attention of law enforcement agencies, and contact exchanges and custodian companies to block accounts and restrict transactions. Write to us in chatbot or email info.nonstopukraine@gmail.com, and we will put you in touch with experts. 

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