November 01, 2023

From Russia with Hate


From Russia with Hate
"Hamas" grafitti. Wikimedia Commons.

A recent Meduza report described how a number of websites associated with the Palestinian political and military organization Hamas use Russian-based web hosting platforms.

Insikt Group, the threat intelligence research arm of US-based cybersecurity company Recorded Future, reported that the website "alqassam.ps" was moved on October 11 to Russian web hosting service VDSina, operated by Moscow-based company Hosting Technology LTD. The website in question relates to Al-Qassam Brigades, the militant wing of Hamas. Later, the site was moved to hosts in Lebanon and Panama. Insikt Group suggests that the constant moving of hosting services is an attempt to evade takedowns and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks by third parties.

Furthermore, Meduza reported that, according to Russian-language Israeli volunteer news service Mesusah, the main Hamas website "hamas.ps" was also recently hosted by VDSina. Mesusah also reported that Hamas had used another Russian web infrastructure provider, Selectel. Selectel board chairman Lev Binzumovich Leviev responded quickly, shutting down the relevant domains and noting that Hamas had only used their free DNS services.

Insikt Group also reported on recent activity in Hamas Telegram channels, where a mobile app that communicates with the "alqassam.ps" website has been propagated. Their report notes a web infrastructure link between Hamas websites and Iran, which they observed earlier in May 2023. One domain name redirecting to the "alqassam.ps" website, "nikanps.top," contained subdomains with Farsi words and the word "Iran."

You Might Also Like

Escaping the Draft – in Israel
  • October 23, 2023

Escaping the Draft – in Israel

Russian-Israelis want to return to Russia to avoid being drafted into Israel's military. But Russia is also conscripting.
Russia Reacts to Gaza War
  • October 16, 2023

Russia Reacts to Gaza War

400 Russians asked to be evacuated from Gaza as Israel ordered the evacuation of 1.1 million people.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955