OpenAI's threat report describes a Russia-based operation that impersonated education officials in Peru and Ecuador via email, persuading schools to hold a fabricated 'National Day of Cultural and Linguistic Diversity' event featuring Ukrainian political figures to provoke division. The same report says related Russian-linked activity in Argentina and Bolivia appeared aimed at swaying local politics, with operators using AI tools to draft content and write internal planning reports.
darkreading.com
· 2026-10-14
A report indicates that Russia's data center infrastructure was not adequately prepared for the sustained cyber and infrastructure conflict that emerged with Ukraine. Limited details were provided beyond this central claim, with no specific figures or named sources included in the available text.
tech.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-12
The WHO released a disease outbreak report on the death of a Russian infectious disease researcher, noting that Russian authorities have not confirmed a cause of death. The agency said it learned of the death on October 2 via media reports and subsequently requested information from Russian authorities on four separate occasions through October 8. Early media reports suggested the researcher, identified as 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, may have died of plague after a lab incident.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-12
Ukraine has struck three major data centers owned by Russian tech company Yandex in recent days, including a facility in Sasovo that houses supercomputers used to train Yandex's AI model. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the strikes as a 'symmetrical response' to Russia's own drone campaign against Ukrainian data centers and telecom networks that began in late September and disrupted service for up to 100,000 households in Kyiv.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-12
OpenAI said it shut down two covert propaganda networks, one linked to Iran and one to Russia, that used its AI models to create persona-driven content. The Iranian network deployed seven fake journalist personas to pitch articles to outlets worldwide, while the Russian network used a fabricated think tank, fake leaked documents, and bogus audio scripts, accessing OpenAI's services via VPNs since Russia is normally blocked. OpenAI said both groups also used AI to write internal reports and sometimes exaggerated their own results through dubious methods, including a claimed fake email impersonating a Peruvian education office.
politics.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-10
Ukraine struck Yandex data centers in Sasovo and Kaluga on October 8 and 9, knocking out two of the company's five facilities, according to Reuters. Firepoint's FP-1 drones hit the Kaluga site, Yandex's largest, while the Sasovo facility housed supercomputers used to train its YandexGPT AI model. Yandex reported no injuries but confirmed service disruptions, with Russian users unable to access apps including Ivi, T-Bank and Russian Railways.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-09
A 28-year-old employee at a plague research institute in Siberia has died, according to reports. The death has drawn public attention and revived fears about potential pandemic risks tied to such facilities.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-05
Daria Shipilova, 28, who worked at an anti-plague research institute in Russia's Irkutsk region, reportedly broke a test tube containing pneumonic plague pathogen on Sept. 25. She was hospitalized Sept. 29 with severe pneumonia symptoms and died Oct. 1-2. Russian health officials say tests found no microorganisms linked to her work, though regional officials have given conflicting statements about whether plague was involved.
science.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-05
A commentary piece discusses how even celebrated experts and public figures sometimes make confident but questionable claims outside their expertise. It cites tech investor Jason Calacanis's podcast remarks, including his view that the Russia-Ukraine war could be resolved through land swaps and that governments shouldn't regulate mergers and acquisitions.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-29
A Russian drone struck a business centre in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district on September 25, killing four people and injuring seven, while damaging a data center belonging to telecom firm Datagroup. Datagroup said no employees were hurt and customer data was safe, with services shifted to backup sites. Russia's defence ministry confirmed it targeted the facility, alleging it processed military intelligence, and separately claimed strikes on other providers including New Telco, United DC, Kyivstar and Parkovyi, with Ukraine's digital ministry reporting about 100,000 households lost internet access after related attacks.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-27
Russia has begun striking data centers and telecom infrastructure across Ukraine, including a Kyiv facility hit by a drone that killed four people. Russia says it targeted Datagroup and other providers such as New-Telco, United DC, Kyivstar and Parkovyi, claiming military use, while Ukrainian officials say the strikes have knocked out internet access for about 100,000 households.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-26
Recorded Future's Insikt Group reports that Russia is combining influence operations, cyberattacks, and physical incursions across Europe as part of its broader war effort against Ukraine. Examples cited include the CopyCop network impersonating European news outlets with AI-generated content, drone incursions near Estonia's border, and a Russian drone intercepted near Romania's Neptun Deep gas project in the Black Sea.
darkreading.com
· 2026-09-25
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