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

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
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.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
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.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

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