Russian Anonymous hack pro-Putin group e-mail

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Russian branch of Anonymous has leaked emails that claim Nashi, a Russian youth group, is paying off journalists and bloggers for positive coverage of Vladimir Putin, according to Web Pro News.The Guardian is reporting that the emails detail conversations between Vasily Yakemenko, the Kremlin’s Federal Youth Agency head, and its spokeswoman, Kristina Potupchik. The emails talk of payments to journalists and bloggers.

The Guardian contacted Potupchik for comment who only said, “I will not comment on illegal actions.”

The current leader of Nashi, Nikita Borovikov, said that the group is used to its email getting hacked every few years, and the news of this potential hack doesn’t surprise him. He says that he is a “law-abiding person, and have nothing to fear of hiding.”

The emails detail a period between November 2010 and December 2011 where the group, funded by the Kremlin, attacked enemies and paid for positive reports while reasserting Putin’s popularity.

The emails detail the group’s attempt at boosting pro-Putin coverage on the Internet. They claim that the group hires pro-Putin bloggers and commenters to leave hundreds of comments on press articles that are critical of the Kremlin.

The emails also point out that Nashi pays particular attention to an anti-Putin blogger named Navalny. They talk about various things they can do to discredit the blogger such as dressing up as him and begging in front of the U.S. embassy.

The hackers told a Russian Web site that they had been planning the attack since last year “as a sign of protest against the government’s actions in the public Internet sphere.”