The Russian invasion and deadly bombing of Ukraine has left a lot of people staring at their TV and computer screens and wondering what, if anything, can be done to help. There’s not much direct action for most of us to take, unfortunately, although Chris Evans has called attention to how a former Ukrainian president was poisoned and disfigured while running against a pro-Russia candidate. That’s more than a few other prominent social media users and TV/WWE stars have done. However, the Anonymous collective group of hackers claims to be doing a lot from behind their own screens.
Anonymous, of course, doesn’t exist behind verified accounts on Twitter, given the nature of their anonymity, but they’re apparently standing with Ukraine. One purported Twitter account declared that they’re intending to “change the world” and “stand up against anything.” The account also called for the Russian people to take a stand against this war as well.
#Anonymous is currently involved in operations against the Russian Federation. Our operations are targeting the Russian government. There is an inevitability that the private sector will most likely be affected too. While this account cannot claim to speak for the whole (con)
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) February 24, 2022
Put yourselves in the shoes of the Ukrainians being bombed right now. Together we can change the world, we can stand up against anything. It is time for the Russian people to stand together and say "NO" to Vladimir Putin's war.
We are Anonymous.
We are LegionExpect us.
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) February 24, 2022
The customary “We are Anonymous. We are Legion. Expect us” mantra does not bode well for Russia so far. The group claimed to have breached (and subsequently leaked) database information from the Russian Ministry of Defence.
https://twitter.com/youranontv/status/1497273131567828992
In addition, the group announced that they took down the RT News website that corresponds to the Russian state (propaganda) TV station of the same name.
JUST IN: #Anonymous has taken down the website of the #Russian propaganda station RT News | https://t.co/Gjg7QDMJ6y | in response to Kremlin's brutal invasion of #Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/pUoo7o5TWF
— Anonymous TV 🇺🇦 (@YourAnonTV) February 24, 2022
The RT News editor-in-chief confirmed (via Twitter) that the site was attacked but that “RT has been able to repel the hit on their servers.”
Strong DDoS Cyberattack Targets RT
Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan has confirmed the DDoS attack on the news agency.
RT has been able to repel the hit on their servers. pic.twitter.com/qJbAPn8PXF
— RT (@RT_com) February 24, 2022
The decentralized collective can be found across many Twitter handles, but one account in particular is expressing a lot of the group’s apparent rationale. “When the world turns to chaos because of fools leading other fools to violence, we may feel powerless,” they wrote. “Understand together we are not powerless. Even a singular voice of reason in the darkness can be a beacon of light for many. Speak out. Be heard. Be righteous in all that you do.”
When the world turns to chaos because of fools leading other fools to violence, we may feel powerless.
Understand together we are not powerless.
Even a singular voice of reason in the darkness can be a beacon of light for many.
Speak out. Be heard. Be righteous in all that you do— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) February 25, 2022
And if anyone wants to thank Anonymous, they’re not having it. “No need to thank us, seriously,” they wrote. “We’re just doing what we think is right because if no one stands up against oppression, who will? Everyone should be standing up at this point. We’re in 2022, not 1922.”
No need to thank us, seriously. We're just doing what we think is right because if no one stands up against oppression, who will? Everyone should be standing up at this point. We're in 2022, not 1922. https://t.co/ZG7B65kpZ9
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) February 25, 2022