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Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, over 6.6 million refugees have left their homes behind. Most of them have settled in close countries such as Poland, Romania, and Moldova. Others have moved a bit further away to England, Germany, Finland amongst many other nations. On top of this, 7.7 million people have been displaced within the country. The war has left a huge toll on the Ukrainian elderly, children and women who make up the bulk of those that have fled since 24 February 2022.  Unfortunately, a side effect of the influx of people, has been a steady threat of human trafficking. These heinous criminals take advantage of the fact that these Ukrainian refugees depend on the kindness of people. First they offer them help and then ruin their lives.  Ukrainian refugees left Ukraine in droves on packed trains (Image: istockphoto.com) VOLUNTEERS IN DROVES In the first days of the war, there was a flood of volunteers. They were all inspired to help in some way to the Ukraine effort. Thes

Russia has been involved in information warfare for decades. It is no surprise that the war in Ukraine happens online, as well as on the front line. Just before the start of the invasion, on 24 February 2022, a mysterious group appeared on Telegram called ''Cyber Front Z''. This was before the famous ''Z'' symbol became synonymous with Russian war crimes and genocide and compared to the German Third Reich symbolism. Cyber Front Z is the latest troll farm set up to propel the Russian propaganda train forward. Especially when it comes to spreading lies about Ukraine. It is based in St Petersburg, and allegedly run by Putin's chef, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Let’s explore what it's like in the newest troll army fighting for Kremlin's losing war. YEVGENIY PRIGOZHIN  We can’t start talking about Russian troll farms without mentioning one famous name, Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin. This name may be familiar because Prigozhin is the money man behind the no

The war in Ukraine, and the ongoing NATO debate in Finland and Sweden, have activated Russian trolls and propaganda bots. This is especially prevalent in social media. Many users have come across pictures, fake news, strange videos, and publications aimed to influence public opinion in this historic time.  Russia seeks to extend their sphere of influence by using troll factories, such as St Petersburg based "Cyber Front Z". They use methods such as botnets and human troll networks to spread propaganda and perform cyber attacks. They also target social media apps such as Telegram, WhatsApp or TikTok. This is usually called information warfare.  BOTS   You should be aware when surfing on social media and accessing your emails. These are the most common ways to receive propaganda.  Russia uses bots to spread its message and try to make it seem like many people are discussing the same issue. In fact, this is not true. The bots execute what the host computer instructs them to do.