Disrupt and Demoralize, Deniably, Part 2
Solntsepek Telegram Account Casts Light on Network of “Hacktivist” Assets Contributing to Russian Information Operations
This is Part Two of a study of Solntsepek (Солнцепёк), a Russian-speaking persona on the Telegram social media platform that Ukrainian cybersecurity officials have identified as a mouthpiece for Russian military hack-and-leak campaigns against Ukraine’s government. Part One of this report described the first major disruptive operation that Solntsepek claimed. This section looks at Solntsepek’s evolving role in a network of Russian-speaking hacktivist personas led by JokerDPR (Джокер ДНР), shedding light on the relationship between Russian intelligence services and the “hacktivist” personas they fabricate or coopt.
Ukrainian cybersecurity official Viktor Zhora, in a June 21, 2023 interview, enumerated three types of people who “represent Russian offensive capabilities” and who often share tasks, targets and resources:
“hackers in uniform,” i.e. military or security agency employ…
