A network of Telegram channels with Russian links encourages people in the UK to attack mosques and Muslims and commit provocations. They offer to pay for it with cryptocurrency.
This was reported by Guardian, UNN.
These channels have been linked to Islamophobic graffiti on mosques and schools, and have also distributed PDFs with bomb-making recipes and blueprints for 3D-printed weapons.
Posters with QR codes for these groups and their associated TikTok accounts have also appeared on British streets. However, in recent weeks, the information in the channels has changed from incitement to do graffiti to direct calls for knife attacks.
Dossiers on such channels and their apparent Russian connections have been passed on to the anti-terrorist police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The charitable organizations Community Security Trust (CST) and Tell Mama, which monitor hate crimes against Jews and Muslims, have also drawn attention to these networks.
There are growing concerns that Russia is trying to foment social unrest in Britain and other Western European countries through covert digital campaigns aimed at exploiting ethnic and religious tensions.
Recall
According to CNN sources, Russia sees negotiations with the Donald Trump administration to restore a significant diplomatic presence in the United States as an opportunity to rebuild its spy network in the West.
The talks with the United States are a significant concession to Moscow, which is seeking to restore the work of intelligence officers under diplomatic cover in its embassies and consulates in Washington, New York and Houston.