One project proposes to download information about the invasion, disguised as recent movies or series, and then distribute it on Russian illegal download platforms. The objective is to inform the population about the massacres perpetrated by the army.
The Russian population has been experiencing near media obscurity since March 2022. All of the country’s opposition newspapers, radios and TV channels have shut down. A team of Ukrainian cyberactivists are still trying to inform Russians about the invasion of Ukraine by spreading uncensored information from a torrent site, Bleeping Computer spotted on August 1, 2022. This method of uploading chunk files to different servers is mainly used by the general public to hack movies, series, books, etc.
Called “Torrents of Truth”, this initiative aims to break the Kremlin’s propaganda and open Russians’ eyes to what is happening in Ukraine. The project contains a list of files with credible sources of information, instructions on downloading and installing a VPN to ensure anonymity. The included videos reveal the images of hidden massacres to the Russian population.
Initiatives to inform the population
According to Torrents of Truth, around 43% of Russians currently obtain their movies and entertainment illegally from torrent files. Download sites are used all the more in countries where access to cinema and international series is complicated. Ukrainian activists then spread the files on these platforms and Russians end up with a report on the invasion instead of the latest Batman.
The project currently releases 21 torrents, hidden under the names of recent movies, the latest season of a series, and popular software such as Photoshop.
Since the start of the invasion, several initiatives have tried to shed some light on the invasion among the Russian population. A Lithuanian association has launched a campaign called “Call Russia” – “Call Russia”, in French – aimed at contacting ordinary citizens to discuss the situation with them. The Ukrainian government quickly opened a Telegram channel “Ищи своих” – Look for yours” in French – on which are broadcast the photos and the identity of Russian soldiers who died on Ukrainian soil. Nevertheless, despite the reports circulating online and the return of the corpses of the soldiers, a large part of the population would still support the invasion.
