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Ukrainian drones hit Yandex data centers; claim that bot activity fell is disputed

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 7 outlets, mostly center (71%).

10 articles in total, 3 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Server racks with glowing blue and green lights in a data center corridor, two people far away.
Image via The Daily WireHow images are chosenReport this image

Ukrainian drones struck Yandex data centers in Russia in early October, according to reports from outlets across the political spectrum. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the Warsaw Security Forum that the strikes made social media easier to breathe on and suggested they reduced the number of bots online. A Cloudflare chart shared online appeared to show a drop in bot traffic from Yandex, but Deutsche Welle calls the graph misleading. Researchers and reporters cited by the BBC, Deutsche Welle and The Dispatch find no evidence that bot activity fell because of the strikes. Zelenskyy’s office said he was describing the atmosphere on social media rather than bot numbers.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Ukrainian drones struck Yandex data centers in Russia in early October.

    Reported byFar Left1Center5Right1Far Right3See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Mother Jones
    Center
    BBC News, France 24, Financial Times, Deutsche Welle, Straight Arrow News
    Right
    The Dispatch
    Far Right
    The Daily Wire, PJ Media, Townhall

  2. Zelenskyy said at the Warsaw Security Forum that the strikes made social media easier to breathe on.

    Reported byFar Left1Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Mother Jones
    Center
    Deutsche Welle, Straight Arrow News

  3. Zelenskyy’s office said he was describing the atmosphere on social media, not a fall in bot activity.

    One outletDeutsche Welle· Center

  4. A Cloudflare chart shared online appeared to show a drop in bot traffic from Yandex after the strikes.

    One side only: the centerReported byCenter2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    Deutsche Welle, Straight Arrow News

  5. Researchers and reporters find no evidence that bot activity fell because of the strikes.

    Reported byCenter2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    BBC News, Deutsche Welle
    Right
    The Dispatch

  6. Internet users claimed pro-Russian and far-right content fell sharply after the strikes.

    One side only: the centerReported byCenter2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    France 24, Straight Arrow News

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • The strikes on Yandex data centers reduced bot activity on Russian social media.

    Zelenskyy suggested it, and the Daily Wire, PJ Media and Townhall treat a drop as real; Straight Arrow News describes a chart showing a decline in bot traffic. Mother Jones, Deutsche Welle, the BBC and The Dispatch say no evidence shows it, and Deutsche Welle calls the Cloudflare graph misleading.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that Ukrainian drones hit Yandex data centers and that Zelenskyy linked the strikes to fewer bots online. Far Right pieces treat the drop as real, while Mother Jones, The Dispatch and center outlets say evidence for it is missing.

  • the left

    0 outlets · 1 opinion

    Mother Jones, rated Far Left, runs only an opinion piece whose headline says the strikes did not take out a bot farm and faults readers for being primed to believe it.

    Drone Strikes Didn’t Take out a Russian Bot Farm, But We Were Loaded verb“Primed to Believe It”Says readers were manipulated into believing a claim, a judgement about the audience that the supplied text does not establish.More neutral: Widely RepeatedDisagree with this highlight?
    Mother JonesFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    5 outlets

    Center headlines mostly pose a question or a fact check on the bot claim, while the FT frames the strikes as having thrown Russia into turmoil.

    Fact check: Misleading graph about alleged Russian bot activity
    Deutsche WelleCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    2 outlets · 2 opinion

    Far Right headlines present the bot drop as real or celebrate it, while The Dispatch, rated Right, asks whether it happened and calls the claims unfounded.

    Why Zelensky Believes Drone Strikes Loaded verb“Crippled”The verb states as fact that the strikes destroyed Russia’s online operation, which the coverage presents as Zelensky’s belief and does not confirm.More neutral: HitDisagree with this highlight? Russia’s Massive Online Smear Machine
    The Daily WireFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left1

    Primed to Believe It

  • Center1

    into turmoil

  • Right4

    stir up chaosCrippledsome reports are indicatingA number of social media figures have noticed

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    stir up chaosMore neutral: influence

    The phrase adds dramatic judgement about the effect of bot networks on American politics without evidence.

    …armies Moscow has long used to push antisemitic conspiracies, bash Israel, and stir up chaos in American politics had suddenly lost their voice.

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    CrippledMore neutral: Hit

    The verb states as fact that the strikes destroyed Russia’s online operation, which the coverage presents as Zelensky’s belief and does not confirm.

    Why Zelensky Believes Drone Strikes Crippled Russia’s Massive Online Smear Machine

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

  • Vague attribution

    some reports are indicatingMore neutral: Named analysts or outlets report that

    The drop in bots is credited to unnamed reports, so readers cannot check who measured it or how.

    …to quite an interesting effect on social media, or at least that is what some reports are indicating.

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Vague attribution

    A number of social media figures have noticedMore neutral: Some social media users say they have seen

    Unnamed people are credited with observations that the article does not show or source.

    A number of social media figures have noticed a significant drop in bots on platforms like X, particularly those…

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

Show 2 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    Primed to Believe ItMore neutral: Widely Repeated

    Says readers were manipulated into believing a claim, a judgement about the audience that the supplied text does not establish.

    Drone Strikes Didn’t Take out a Russian Bot Farm, But We Were Primed to Believe It

    Used byMother Jones (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    into turmoilMore neutral: disrupted

    The excerpt reports that the attacks exposed vulnerabilities, not that they caused turmoil, so the wording goes beyond the reported facts.

    How Ukraine’s data centre strikes threw Russia into turmoil

    Used byFinancial Times (Center)

Words quoted from someone else (2)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Dehumanizing label

    Quoted

    rabid pro-palsMore neutral: pro-Palestinian posters

    The phrase likens Palestinians and their supporters to rabid animals, a description of a national group rather than of conduct.

    …and 'Free Palestine' drops off according to X’s Radar analytics page." "All the rabid pro-pals [Palestinians] are very, very quiet," another poster added.

    Quoted byPJ Media (Far Right)

    These are unnamed poster on X’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Absolutist framing

    Quoted

    it’s pretty clearMore neutral: he asserted where those bots were coming from

    Presents an unverified claim about where the bots came from as settled fact.

    And it’s pretty clear where those bots were coming from.

    Quoted byMother Jones (Far Left)

    These are Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

0 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • the bot farm claim as unproven
  • why audiences accepted the claim
  • Zelenskyy’s bot-related remarks
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • Mother JonesFar LeftOpinion

    Drone Strikes Didn’t Take out a Russian Bot Farm, But We Were Loaded verb“Primed to Believe It”Says readers were manipulated into believing a claim, a judgement about the audience that the supplied text does not establish.More neutral: Widely RepeatedDisagree with this highlight?

    On Monday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that a Ukrainian bombing strike on Yandex’s data centers, a large Russian technology company, had led to a sudden decrease in bot activity online. …

    Read at Mother Jones (opens in a new tab)

From the center

5 outlets

Leads with

  • whether the bot claim holds up
  • the Cloudflare chart and its inconsistencies
  • Zelenskyy’s remarks and his office’s clarification
See the 5 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • Straight Arrow NewsCenter

    Bot test: Did a strike on a Russian data center throttle internet activity this weekend?

    Ukrainian destruction of Russian data centers prompted internet users to ask whether social media bots have been silenced.

    Read at Straight Arrow News (opens in a new tab)
  • Deutsche WelleCenter

    Fact check: Misleading graph about alleged Russian bot activity

    Did attacks on Russian data centers reduce bot activity around Germany's AfD? A viral graph claims they did. But it contains significant inconsistencies and provides no evidence to support the claim.

    Read at Deutsche Welle (opens in a new tab)
  • Financial TimesCenter

    How Ukraine’s data centre strikes threw Russia Sensational language“into turmoil”The excerpt reports that the attacks exposed vulnerabilities, not that they caused turmoil, so the wording goes beyond the reported facts.More neutral: disruptedDisagree with this highlight?

    Kyiv’s attacks exposed vulnerabilities of Kremlin effort to centralise internet services under one company

    Read at Financial Times (opens in a new tab)
  • France 24Center

    Have Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centres hit Russian online disinformation?

    After recent Ukrainian bombings of Russian data centres belonging to Yandex, internet users claim to have noticed a sharp reduction in pro-Russian and far-right populist social media content. …

    Read at France 24 (opens in a new tab)
  • BBC NewsCenter

    Is Zelensky right to say data centre strikes have taken down Russian bots?

    Experts say there is no evidence that Russian trolls have been affected by Ukraine’s Yandex attacks.

    Read at BBC News (opens in a new tab)

From the right

2 outlets · 2 opinion

Leads with

  • Zelenskyy’s belief the strikes crippled a smear machine
  • Yandex as Russia’s answer to Google
  • the internet improving after the strikes

Leaves out

  • expert findings that no evidence links the strikes to fewer bots

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The DispatchRight

    Did Ukrainian Drones Wipe Out Russia’s Bot Networks?

    Attacks on Russian data centers knocked out its version of Google, but claims that bot activity plummeted were unfounded.

    Read at The Dispatch (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily WireFar Right

    Why Zelensky Believes Drone Strikes Loaded verb“Crippled”The verb states as fact that the strikes destroyed Russia’s online operation, which the coverage presents as Zelensky’s belief and does not confirm.More neutral: HitDisagree with this highlight? Russia’s Massive Online Smear Machine

    Ukraine just took the fight to Russia’s servers, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes its attack knocked the Kremlin’s online smear operation for a loop. …

    Read at The Daily Wire (opens in a new tab)
  • TownhallFar RightOpinion

    Ukrainian Strikes on Russian Data Centers Reportedly Produced Substantial Drop in Social Media Bots

    Last week, the Ukrainian military carried out strikes on Yandex’s data center, one of the largest in Russia, located in eastern Moscow, and it has led to quite an interesting effect on social media, or at least that is what Vague attribution“some reports are indicating”The drop in bots is credited to unnamed reports, so readers cannot check who measured it or how.More neutral: Named analysts or outlets report thatDisagree with this highlight?.

    Read at Townhall (opens in a new tab)
  • PJ MediaFar RightOpinion

    Ukraine Knocked Out Russia's Biggest Data Centers, and the Internet Got 17% Better

    "What happened to my trolls?" my old social media buddy Chris Loesch asked late Tuesday night on X. "Something happen to the bot farms?"

    Read at PJ Media (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Center

    3 hr 52 min later

    Its first report, Oct 13, 9:27 AM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    The Daily Wire, Oct 13, 5:35 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Daily WireFar RightOct 13, 5:35 AM EDT
  2. BBC NewsCenterOct 13, 9:27 AM EDT
  3. France 24CenterOct 13, 4:59 PM EDT
  4. Financial TimesCenterOct 14, 12:00 AM EDT
  5. Deutsche WelleCenterOct 14, 5:08 AM EDT
  6. Straight Arrow NewsCenterOct 14, 10:47 AM EDT
  7. The DispatchRightOct 15, 1:02 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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