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29 December 2024, 08:48
2024-12-29
Epic with OnlyFans, IT people – in the infantry, Russian S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. Top 10 global technological events of 2024
The main news this year in Ukraine is obviously related to the front and the war against Russia. Along with them, we have selected 10 scary technological events that happened in 2024. This is a subjective list in an arbitrary order, which mainly concerns Ukraine. Some events from it may seem less significant, others more. You can supplement it in the comments with what caused you the biggest "facepalm" this year. But here is what made us cry.
The main news this year in Ukraine is obviously related to the front and the war against Russia. Along with them, we have selected 10 scary technological events that happened in 2024. This is a subjective list in an arbitrary order, which mainly concerns Ukraine. Some events from it may seem less significant, others more. You can supplement it in the comments with what caused you the biggest "facepalm" this year. But here is what made us cry.
Scandal with the disbandment of IT units in the Armed Forces of Ukraine for 1,000 IT personnel
In October, the General Staff ordered the disbandment of two IT units with over 1,000 IT specialists and 100 projects in development. Thus, the Geospatial Data Center (GDC) was disbanded, a unit that was engaged in analytics and development of technological solutions. A similar fate may await the largest IT unit in terms of personnel, the Center for Scaling Technological Solutions (CTS), which was assembled from IT specialists who had been in various front-line units since the beginning of the full-scale war.
The Central Military District has developed the information and communication system "Impulse", which replaces paper documents related to the combat unit and personnel service with electronic ones. It was also involved in the development of "Army+". The unit continues to operate, but inspections have paralyzed its work for some time. The Ministry of Defense stated that they cannot influence the situation and take away, for example, IT specialists or projects if the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine decides to send these IT specialists to the infantry and close the projects.
It is clear that in the army no one gives anyone any guarantees. At the same time, we have heard statements from the country's top military leadership that "a small Soviet army (Ukraine) cannot defeat a large Soviet army (Russia)" and how important technological development is in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And therefore we need to use soldiers where they are most effective. For example, IT specialists in IT positions. As we can see, it does not always work out.
"The generals are now holding IT specialists hostage." The Ministry of Defense responded to the scandal surrounding the disbandment of several military units that developed IT projects for the Defense Forces
In November, the Rada registered a bill on the decriminalization of porn after more than a year of work by the Law Enforcement Committee and the working group. The beginning of the changes was preceded by a petition on the legalization of erotica and porn in Ukraine in July 2022. It quickly collected the necessary 25,000 signatures. But already in December, the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine (BEB) came to search two OnlyFans models, allegedly for intentional tax evasion, although they had done so a month earlier. Over 5,000 Ukrainian models who create paid content on the OnlyFans online platform earned about $123 million in income during 2020–2022.
The result is a situation in which we are moving towards the decriminalization of porn, and at the same time rejecting it. Law enforcement officers can come to Onlyfans models at any time, even if they pay taxes. Such a “gray” zone creates space for possible corruption and “covering up”. This is probably one of the reasons why in Ukraine they have not been able to legally resolve the issue of what to do with explicit content for so long.
"A group of people burst into my parents' apartment to search them. They told my mother that I was facing 12 years in prison." The BEB came to search two OnlyFans models, who together paid almost $950,000 in taxes to the budget
"A Thousand Wolves"
Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed the government to introduce a new program starting December 1 that will be tangible for every family in Ukraine. The one thousand hryvnias announced by Zelenskyy as part of the e-Support program will be credited to the National Cashback card. It can be opened at Diya.
Cash assistance can be used to pay for utilities, purchase medicines, transport, donate to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other social needs. The program will be valid until the end of February 2025, and the assistance can be spent until the end of next year. Because of this, a new functionality will appear in the state application "Diya", which will simplify the process of receiving money. "Winter eSupport" will be placed on the main screen of "Diya". The payment of 1000 UAH was criticized by businessmen and experts.
As of December 26, the total number of applications for participation in the program on the Diya portal reached 8.6 million, of which 2.2 million were for payments for children. That is, the government offered, the people took. And no matter how experts spoke out, explaining that this was a bad idea, who needs these arguments? If 1,000 hryvnias came quickly and you can pay your utility bills, why not take them? Such a “presidential program” is really designed for those who do not particularly want to think about how money “flows” in the state. It looks like a populist step disguised as “help” for citizens, which does not bring anything new to the development of the Ukrainian economy.
The petition to cancel the payment of "Zelensky's thousand" has received more than 25,000 votes. What arguments does its author have?
Head of KRAIL in pre-trial detention center
On December 19, the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv elected a preventive measure for the head of the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL) Ivan Rudy. He will be in pre-trial detention until February 4 of next year without the right to post bail. At the same time, after choosing a preventive measure, he stated that the charges against him were fabricated. Ivan Rudy was previously detained by law enforcement officers: he is suspected of supporting the activities of a Russian online casino in Ukraine. We may be talking about the Pin-Up online casino, which is suspected of laundering Russian money and which had a license to organize gambling. In early December, the Verkhovna Rada voted in favor of bill No. 9256-d, which provides for the liquidation of (KRAIL). We previously wrote that the financial company of the owner of the Pin-Up online casino earns millions from commissions on public services.
At the end of last year, the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries did not confirm information about the presence of Russian control over the activities of LLC "Ukr Game Technology" (PIN-UP brand). And this despite the fact that shortly before that, KRAL was going to apply sanctions to Pin-Up. And already on December 5 of this year, the Prosecutor General's Office reported suspicion to three citizens of the Russian Federation , who are the beneficial owners of an illegal online casino, as well as two Ukrainians - the director and the owner of the trademark and domain. They were accused, among other things, of collecting sensitive information, in particular, information about the location of the military Defense Forces.
When in 2022-2023 half of the capital was littered with Pin-Up outdoor advertising, few people were bothered by it. Check? And why? Then there was no Russian trace. And here it is. Strangely enough, during the liquidation, KRAL grew stronger, and its former head Ivan Rudy became the main suspect. The story is similar to the epic with Onlyfans: at first everything suits everyone, but at any moment something can go wrong. It is clear that everything that harms Ukraine, especially during war, is bad. No less important is a timely response and an honest investigation by law enforcement agencies. I would like to see it not only in this case.
UPD. The head of the semi-liquidated KRAIL Rudoy was sent to pre-trial detention until February 4. He believes the case was fabricated
Semi-banned Telegram
In September 2024, the Ukrainian authorities already imposed restrictions on the use of Telegram among the military, government officials, and employees of critical infrastructure. According to Ukrainian intelligence, Telegram is actively used by Russia as a tool for cyberattacks and espionage. Its functions allow it to distribute malware, adjust missile strikes, and track the whereabouts of Ukrainian military personnel.
Despite the risks, Telegram remains extremely popular among Ukrainians. According to a study commissioned by the US government, about 70% of Ukrainians use it as their main source of news. This is significantly higher than the popularity of television, radio or other platforms. Officials acknowledge that overcoming such addiction will not be easy. At the same time, they emphasize that the country's security must come first. Ukraine is currently considering new rules for regulating Telegram. Among them is the mandatory disclosure of the owners of anonymous channels.
Telegram is currently a half-solution. The authorities do not dare to ban it completely, although at one time VK and Odnoklassniki were perfectly blocked once and for all. Experts say that it is more difficult to do this with Telegram in technical terms. But the state leadership has not yet shown any final conviction in this direction. Another problem remains the interaction with the Telegram leadership - the team of Russian Pavel Durov. Although the latter surrendered to the French authorities and began to delete harmful Telegram groups (in particular, regarding porn and drugs), he is not very eager to communicate with Ukrainian officials. Therefore, we seem to be sending Durov virtual greetings, indicating the possible beginning of the end of the messenger in Ukraine.
Ukraine is considering new rules to regulate Telegram. Among them is mandatory disclosure of the owners of anonymous channels
Ticket sales for "Ocean Elzy" due to the work of the CCC
In mid-October, after the performance of the band "Okean Elzy", several dozen employees of the CCC and the SP, along with patrol police, were waiting for visitors. That evening, several men who had problems with their documents or refused to show them were forcibly detained and taken to the CCC. Several more were issued summonses and released. One of the men, who refused to show his military registration documents, shouted "Call 102" during his detention.
One of the women tried to get into the patrol car where her husband was being taken and shouted that she would “go with him,” but the police prevented her from doing so. The law enforcement officers said that they could not transport her in a police car with a detainee. They gave her the address where her husband was being taken and advised her to get there on her own. After this incident, tickets for the next concerts of the rock band “Okean Elzy” (there were 3 more in a row) began to be sold online. Similar messages appeared on the OLX platform.
Since then, a number of significant events have occurred: from critical videos about the deplorable state of the leadership of some brigades to the rather rapid Russian offensive in Donbas, attempts to introduce recruitment in the Defense Forces and possible peace talks with the Russian Federation. Against this background, the enthusiasm for joining the army, which was in 2022, has not been achieved. New approaches to staffing the army are needed, not "busification". One of the main problems in this is time, which is not in our favor now.
Tickets for "Okean Elzy" are selling out online. The likely reason is the work of the CCC after the first concert
Russian disinformation about STALKER 2
Western media reports that STALKER 2 “enraged Russian propagandists” and they organized a disinformation operation against the Ukrainian game. “The Ukrainian game STALKER 2 helps the state find citizens suitable for mobilization. A built-in program was discovered in the game code that collects data about players and transmits it to the developer’s servers. The program collects data about the player’s device, name, IP address, and current location. Information is transmitted every second,” the Russians claim in one of their videos.
Previously, screenshots from Russian Telegram channels appeared on the network, which may indicate a campaign to lower the ratings of STALKER 2. They offer to leave negative reviews and comments about the game on Steam and TikTok for money. At the same time, the payment for low ratings is minimal. For a bad comment about STALKER 2 on TikTok, they offer only 80 kopecks, and for a video - 5 rubles for every 200 views. A little earlier, a message from Russian modders appeared on the official website of the original trilogy of games in the STALKER series, complaining about the removal of Russian voice acting from the game.
Did we expect anything else from the Russians? No. Their similar actions once again show that computer games are a part of culture and a "soft power" of influence on billions of people from all over the world. Along with this, Russia, like an empire, is trying to appropriate the best examples of our culture. This has already happened in history, and it is happening now. It is all the more pleasant to watch the success of the Ukrainian STALKER 2.
Russians launched a disinformation campaign "STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl", which allegedly secretly collects player data and transfers it to the CCC
Hacking of the Ministry of Justice registers
It's not about the hack itself, because it's the work of the enemy, which has quite serious consequences. Here's the story about the state's communication around the event. Specialists and people connected with cybersecurity began to "spin" the real picture, there was no official information about the hack, the scale of the hack on the day it happened, at first.
The official position of the Ministry of Justice is a technical failure (as of 16:00). The Russians posted their post at 19:53. At the same time, the notary database had not been working since 12:00. And only at 23:30 did we finally see a post from the official Olga Stefanishyna (Minister of Justice — ed.) that the registers had indeed been hacked. “That is, for more than 12 hours, no one did anything at all, that they did not recognize, and did not even consider it necessary to inform the population,” one of the cyber experts was rightly indignant.
I had to hear the opinion from other cyber experts that this is still a fairly quick reaction from the state and a message from it about the truth about the situation. However, state bodies are still learning to be as honest as possible and speak frankly with their citizens. But the main question is different - who will bear the real punishment from the Ukrainian side? There is information about the release, but does the punishment end there, or what? It turns out that once again no one is to blame for anything. This is how distrust of the authorities is formed.
"For more than 12 hours, no one did anything that they did not acknowledge, or even considered it necessary to inform the population." Cyber expert reveals the consequences of the Russian hack of the Ministry of Justice registers
Elon Musk
There are two Elon Musks: a technological genius and a freak who loves to create infomercials. The second is no less interesting than the first, but he acts against the interests of Ukraine. In October, sources in The Wall Street Journal claimed that billionaire and co-founder of Tesla, Neuralink, xAI and SpaceX Elon Musk regularly maintains ties with war criminal and Russian ruler Vladimir Putin.
Reports of Musk’s conversations with Putin coincide with his shift in rhetoric on Ukraine in late 2022. At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the billionaire expressed support for the Ukrainians and provided Ukraine with 15,000 Starlink terminals. However, as early as October 2022, Musk posted a poll on X (Twitter) regarding a “peace plan” that reflected some of Russia’s military demands at the time, including Russia’s formal acquisition of Crimea and a guarantee of Ukraine’s neutrality.
In October 2023, Elon Musk posted a meme mocking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his efforts to attract aid. As investigative journalists later discovered, this meme was created by a Russian “fake factory.” And these are just a few examples, in fact, there are many more. At the same time, Musk financed Donald Trump’s election campaign and literally brought him to the new US presidency. And therefore he has influence, and we, one way or another, will have to reckon with the opinion of the eccentric billionaire. The main question is how to find the influence we need on Musk.
Elon Musk has been in regular contact with Putin since 2022 and even did a favor for China at the request of the Russian ruler — WSJ
Possible closure of DeepState
On December 23, MP Mariana Bezugla stated that Oleksandr Syrskyi allegedly launched an attack on the DeepState team: he plans to mobilize the team and appeal to the SBU to disclose information. What is known about the situation? Most likely, the situation arose against the background of information reported on December 17 on the DeepState channel, which said that the SOU defense garrison in Makarivka (Vremivka direction, Donetsk region) risks being surrounded.
On the evening of December 23, DeepState co-founder Roman Pohoriliy published an appeal on social networks, where he notes that the project team has always worked and made maximum efforts to win and help our fighters and our country. “That is why we have an iron reputation and the most valuable trust among society, and most importantly, among the military. That is why we have the most famous map of the Russian-Ukrainian war in Ukraine and the world. But, unfortunately, not all commanders-in-chief like the truth and that is a shame,” he noted. Military journalist Yuriy Butusov says that the leadership of the Armed Forces promised him not to touch the DeepState team.
Looking for enemies among your own at a critical moment for the front and Ukraine is probably about “letting off steam” on the part of the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. But DeepState is not to blame for the rather rapid breakthrough of the enemy of the front in the east of the country. And instead of constructive changes in the structure of military command, we see destructive “showdowns”. DeepState has truly earned respect among Ukrainians and we need such a digital tool in the era of modern wars.
Соціальні мережі та штучний інтелект формують глобальні наративи про війну в Україні. Як їх використовують українці та росіяни — аналітика від Foreign Policy
Напередодні вторгнення росії в Україну соціальні медіа слугували полем битви для держав і недержавних діячів, щоби поширювати конкуруючі наративи про війну та зображати поточний конфлікт у своїх власних інтересах. Видання Foreign Policy опублікувало великий аналітичний матеріал, як українці та росіяни використовують соціальні мережі, щоб давати інформацію про війну. Наводимо його адаптований переклад.
