This is a database of Ukrainian chatbots developed by government institutions or volunteers. It is a product created by specialists of the Center for Strategic Communications together with experts from the Cyber Police, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and the State Service of Special Communications.
Here you can find out who created a chatbot in Telegram and check whether the chatbot really belongs to the organization you want to contact. This helps ensure that the chatbot is not a fake.
Why is this important?
Russians mass-create fake Ukrainian chatbots to confuse you and make you mistakenly give them your data. The difference in the name or link of a chatbot may be barely noticeable. For example, an extra letter or symbol. But this small mistake can cost a lot if important information ends up in the hands of the enemy.
How the botchecker works:
- Enter the name or link of the chatbot in the search field and press the search button.
- The site will show you whether this chatbot is real, who created it, for what purpose, and how many fake clones it has.
- If the bot is not in the database and seems suspicious to you, report it to the cyber police – @stopdrugsbot (BRAMA chatbot in Telegram). Specialists will check it. If it turns out to be hostile, they will make every effort to block it.
Check the bot
Before using any chatbot, you should know:
Using ANY chatbots in Telegram leaves digital traces on your device. If you clear chat history, cache, media, and delete the bot from your search history – you will remove only surface traces of using the bot.
It is impossible to fully guarantee the deletion of all traces. If you block the bot, information about your interaction with it can still be easily found by the occupiers in the list of blocked users in your Telegram account settings.
To verify this, go to your profile “Settings” – “Privacy and Security” – “Blocked Users”. Here you can see all users and all chatbots that you have ever blocked.
Therefore, before using any bot, assess your situation and risks.
If the fact of using such a chatbot can potentially harm you – do not activate the chatbot. For example, if you are going to places where your device may end up in the hands of the enemy.
If you are in temporarily occupied territories and still decide to use a chatbot, take care of your safety in advance – use a backup device and a separate Telegram account. How to create such an account and where to store a backup device – be sure to read here.
Important information for the media, bloggers and all citizens who photograph or write about the war and the army
What is strictly banned for the media to cover in wartime:
- Names of units and subdivisions, as well as their location
- Number of military personnel in units and subdivisions
- Number of weapons and equipment, their condition and storage location
- Conventional designations of objects
Any information about:
- Operations that are being conducted or planned
- The security and defence system of military units
- Available protection of the military such as: weapons and equipment (except visible or obviously distinct)
- Procedures for engaging forces (military) and means (weapons)
- Collection of intelligence data
- Movement and deployment of troops (names, numbers, routes)
- Military units and their tactics, methods of action
- Unique operations and how they are performed
- Effectiveness of enemy electronic warfare
- Postponed or cancelled operations
- Missing or downed aircraft, ship, and search and rescue operations
- Plans for the safety of our troops (disinformation, disguise, countermeasures)
- Conducted or planned information and psychological operations
- Propaganda or justification of Russia’s large-scale armed aggression against Ukraine
Don’t post on social media:
- The consequences of enemy missiles or shells hits or the moments of their flight in the sky. This will help the enemy to correct their fire.
- Time and place of “hits” (neither in publications nor in comments).
- Data on the work of Ukrainian air defence.
- Photos showing the numbers, special markings and markings on the destroyed or downed enemy equipment.
- Unverified information about casualties or deaths.
