A Rising Star in Russia’s Disinformation Game

A self described Ukrainian hacking group, Beregini, has disseminated seemingly official documents that support Russian propaganda.

In this report, we share how a little-known disinformation group came to be a major influence on Russia’s narrative. The report investigates the activities of the Beregini group, highlighting the following:

• Active since 2016, the groupʼs content gained little attention before February 2022, when it began
  leaking documents that support the increasingly belligerent Russian claims in the buildup to the
  current war.
• Mostly active on Telegram, the groupʼs obscurity has allowed its content to be shared across the
  web, including major social platforms.
• The objectives of these attacks appear to be to sow discord in Ukraine, present the Ukrainian
  military as inept and weak, portray Ukraine as a puppet of Western regimes against Russia, and
  shift the blame of psychological warfare to Ukraine.

Understanding the Beregini Group and the narratives they support allows technology companies to
identify their activities, as they reach their platform in order to take action. Revealing tactics used by the Russian state, this report shares the work of a rising star in Russia’s Disinformation Game.