Yandex Cooperating with FSB to Single Out Dissidents

Russian activists and media have raised concerns that several websites mimicking the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps are actually traps set by the FSB to collect data on individuals interested in joining these volunteer formations in Ukraine. These fake websites appeared prominently in Yandex's search results but were absent from Google, leading to suspicions of Yandex's collaboration with Russian security forces. The fraudulent sites, which differ from the legitimate ones by only a single letter in their domain names, were designed to gather personal information such as gender, age, and contact details from users. Although the fake sites are currently inaccessible, cached versions remain at the top of Yandex's search results. Volunteers from the actual organizations have confirmed that these sites are not affiliated with them. The domains for these fake sites were registered in late 2023, with all registration information concealed, making it difficult to ascertain their creators or maintainers. This situation highlights the ongoing risks of phishing attacks and misinformation in the context of the conflict in Ukraine.

- Fake websites mimicking Russian volunteer organizations are suspected FSB traps.

- Yandex is accused of promoting these fraudulent sites over legitimate ones.

- The fake sites aimed to collect personal data from potential volunteers.

- Volunteers confirmed that the fraudulent sites are not associated with their organizations.

- The domains for the fake sites were registered with hidden information.