developing· Security· Updated 22:54

Russia Rejects Netanyahu's Claims of Antisemitic Online Campaign

Russia's Foreign Ministry has strongly rejected accusations by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Moscow is orchestrating an online antisemitic campaign against Israel. The ministry called the claims baseless, absurd, and shocking, asserting that antisemitism is virtually nonexistent in Russia due to government policies promoting interethnic harmony.

6 newsrooms · 5 languages · since 21:52

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Russia Rejects Netanyahu's Claims of Antisemitic Online Campaign — Illustration by baba

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What happened

01Russia's Foreign Ministry rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims that Moscow is running an online antisemitic campaign.
02Netanyahu accused Russia and Putin associate Alexander Dugin of using bot networks to poison the American right wing.
03Netanyahu stated that Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centers caused a 60% drop in online anti-Israel discourse.
04Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted a decrease in online hate speech following the data center attacks.
05Russia called the accusations baseless and shocking, asserting that its domestic policies have virtually eliminated antisemitism.
06Moscow suggested Netanyahu preferred media leaks before Israel's October 27 elections over professional cybersecurity dialogue.
07The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that Israel never responded to a 2018 proposal for bilateral cyber defense cooperation.

Netanyahu had publicly accused Russia and Alexander Dugin, a close associate of President Vladimir Putin, of using artificial intelligence and bot networks to spread anti-Israel messages and poison the American right wing. He stated that a Ukrainian attack on Russian data centers, including those of tech giant Yandex, caused a 60% drop in online anti-Israel discourse and Free Palestine calls, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted.

In response, Moscow suggested Netanyahu was using media leaks and provocations ahead of Israel's October 27 parliamentary elections rather than engaging in professional dialogue. The Russian Foreign Ministry recalled that Israel had ignored a 2018 Russian proposal for a bilateral agreement on information security and cyber defense, which could have addressed such issues.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 6 newsrooms. Updated 23:17