Censorship on the war in Ukraine is falling in Russia and it is increasingly difficult for citizens to have access to free and transparent information on the conflict. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have also been restricted and blocked. While the Russian government and parliament impose a gag on the press by introducing severe penalties for those who do not comply with the dictates and orders of the war propaganda machine with the aim of regulating internal public opinion.
The 1920.in website tries to get around the digital censorship wall and establish direct contact and dialogue with Russian citizenship.
The digital war
The secret US mission to strengthen Ukraine’s cyber defenses
by Carlo Lavalle
Developed by the Polish hacker group Squad303 – name taken from a squadron of Polish pilots of the British aviation, heroes of the fight against Nazi Germany – it allows you to send sms and Whatsapp messages or e-mails to emails and mobile numbers of Russian users. Moreover, it is possible to attach photos and videos documenting the situation in Ukraine.
The site, active on the Internet since March 6, draws on a database of 20 million mobile phone numbers and about 140 million email addresses of Russian individuals and companies that it makes available, selected with a random extraction method, to those who wish to participate. to the initiative. When an Internet user connects online, via PC or smartphone, he can choose whether to send a predefined text written in Russian via sms, Whatsapp or e-mail.
Interview
The war on fake news: what’s behind disinformation on social media and how it works
by Francesco Marino
The idea is to be able to reach Russian citizenship without the filter of censorship to raise awareness of what is happening in Ukraine. And, indeed, thanks to the site 1920.in – so called in reference to the Warsaw battle won by the Poles against the Soviets in 1920 – many ordinary people have already been able to send millions of emails and messages to mobile phones in Russia.
Most of the time you do not get an answer but in some cases you can reach the interlocutor. However, it does not always react favorably. Those who do not like messages also reply with insults and threats. There are, however, users who respond by accepting the discussion. Sometimes, someone declares himself against the war and openly distances himself from Putin. Or, recognizing the reality, he is forced to admit his fear and helplessness of him, and the impossibility of doing something given the risks he faces by taking to the streets to protest. On the other hand, we must be careful because police control has become suffocating in Russia. Simple messages on the mobile phone can endanger the person reading them when, as seen in the scenes filmed in the Moscow metro, the police have the authority to requisition private mobile phones to find evidence of a suspected opponent and suppress dissent.
The conflict
Influencers on TikTok: the new battlefield of war in Ukraine
by Francesco Marino
However, these are not the obstacles and difficulties that make Squad303 activists desist from their commitment to spread the freedom of information on the war in Ukraine, including the massacre of civilians, that the Kremlin tries to deny the Russian population.