Russia Slams Netanyahu's 'Absurd' Accusations of Online Antisemitism
Translated & summarized from Behadrei Haredim by baba
Russia's Foreign Ministry sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims that Moscow is orchestrating an antisemitic social media campaign against Israel. Russia called the accusations "absurd" and "unfounded," attributing the drop in online anti-Israel sentiment to a Ukrainian attack on Russian data centers. The attack disrupted Russian internet access and led to a global decrease in political bot activity, a development welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Russia's Foreign Ministry called Prime Minister Netanyahu's antisemitism accusations "absurd" and "unfounded."
- Netanyahu claimed a Ukrainian attack on Russian data centers caused a 60% drop in online anti-Israel discourse.
- Russia denied running an antisemitic social media campaign and cited its inter-ethnic harmony policy.
- Moscow suggested Netanyahu was leaking information for election purposes instead of engaging in cyber dialogue.
- The attack on Yandex data centers disrupted Russian internet and reduced global political bot activity.
- Ukrainian President Zelenskyy noted a subsequent decrease in online hate speech following the data center attack.
Russia's Foreign Ministry launched a sharp, unusual attack on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, calling his accusations that Moscow is running an antisemitic social media campaign against Israel "absurd" and "unfounded." The ministry stated it was "shocked" by Netanyahu's public claims and asserted that Russia has no antisemitism due to its policy of inter-ethnic harmony. Moscow suggested Netanyahu preferred "media leaks" ahead of Israel's October 27 elections over quiet dialogue between cyber experts.
The diplomatic spat erupted after Netanyahu presented his security outlook earlier in the week. He revealed that a Ukrainian attack on major Russian data centers had caused a 60% drop in anti-Israel discourse and "Free Palestine" calls online. Netanyahu also noted that while Israel seeks cooperation with Russia, their interests often clash, citing Russia's cooperation with Iran and the alleged "most blatant antisemitism" from bots targeting Israel.
The Ukrainian attack, which Netanyahu highlighted, targeted the data centers of Russian tech giant Yandex. The damage to servers disrupted internet access in Russia and led to an immediate global decrease in political bot activity. For instance, bot activity surrounding Germany's far-right AfD party dropped by 30% within a day, followed by another 56% the next. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the attack, noting a subsequent decrease in hate speech and division on social media platforms.
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