Joker DPR and the Information War

“Joker DPR” is a pro-Russian hacktivist threat group that has risen to prominence during Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The group is well-known for its historical and current Telegram channels, which it has used to disseminate sensitive information and spread pro-Russian, anti-Ukrainian propaganda.

To date, Joker DPR’s most significant claim has been an alleged breach of DELTA, a
battlefield management system (BMS) that has proven effective for Ukraine’s national defense.

Joker DPR’s alleged breach was unlikely to have been as wide-reaching as the threat group claimed. Nevertheless, it is part of a growing body of evidence that suggests Joker DPR is deliberately supporting Russia’s information war in Ukraine. Based on the alignment of Joker DPR’s activities with the goals of Russian influence operations in Ukraine — specifically, undermining support for Ukrainian military and government apparatuses — it is likely that Joker DPR’s activities are directed at amplifying Russian information operations in Ukraine, possibly with the coordination of the Russian state.

Key Findings

• Joker DPR has cultivated a sophisticated persona. Although characterized as an individual in its communications, it is likely that Joker DPR is a threat group that relies on a human infrastructure of Ukrainians who sympathize with the Russian cause and like-minded threat actors to gather the sensitive information that it publicizes.

• Joker DPR first appeared on October 21, 2019, with the creation of its first Telegram channel, “Джокер ДНР”, which gained over 59,000 subscribers before it was blocked in March 2022.
  
  
• Immediately following the forced closure of its first channel, Joker DPR founded a second Telegram channel with the same name. As of this writing, the second “Джокер ДНР” has gained 247,000 subscribers.
  
  
• To date, Joker DPR’s most significant claim has been an alleged breach of DELTA, a Ukrainian BMS that has proven effective for Ukraine’s national defense. However, it is unlikely that this breach was as wide-reaching as Joker DPR claimed.
  
  
• It is likely that Joker DPR’s information operations and cyber activity are intended to support Russia’s information war in Ukraine by eroding public trust in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and Ukrainian government, possibly with the coordination or support of the Russian state.
  
  
  

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