- Russian spies are using Telegram and cryptocurrency to recruit teenagers across Europe for acts of sabotage and violence, according to a new study.
- The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) identified “com networks” on Telegram where participants compete for clout by uploading harmful content, with some receiving crypto payments.
- Thousands of dollars in USDT stablecoin were reportedly offered to a 22-year-old Ukrainian for firebombing former UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s home.
Russian intelligence operatives are leveraging Telegram and cryptocurrency payments to recruit teenagers and young adults across Europe for sabotage and violence, according to a study by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) shared with the i Paper. The study uncovered a network of Telegram groups called “com networks” where participants compete for status by uploading footage of destructive acts.
Two clips shared in these groups originated in the UK, including one showing someone smashing a car belonging to a care worker and another depicting the same individual throwing a brick through a house window. One week later, Ukrainian police arrested two boys aged 11 and 15 who were allegedly planning to attack their school with guns and explosives on orders from the Russian Federation.
The Security Service of Ukraine described these incidents as a Russian intelligence operation, and the ISD noted “multiple indicators suggesting possible Russian state-linked support” for parts of the network. Study author Steven Rai stated that Russia-linked Telegram chats have offered crypto for arson attacks, calling these payments within the com networks “completely new.”
An umbrella group connecting these Telegram networks claims it wants participants of different views to unite with one goal of causing chaos. One faction within this collective claims ties to Direct Action, a Russian-manufactured far-right group that organized the firebombing of former UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s home, where thousands of dollars in USDT stablecoin were reportedly offered to a 22-year-old Ukrainian in exchange for carrying out the attack.
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