kompromat
Compromising material collected through surveillance, used by the FSB to manipulate or discredit business rivals, journalists, and politicians.
2 chapters across 1 book
The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries (2015)Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan
Chapter 4, "The Black Box," recounts how Vika Egorova received leaked documents revealing a secret government policy requiring Russian ISPs to install SORM devices, enabling the FSB to eavesdrop on Internet communications. The chapter details how libertarian activist Anatoly Levenchuk publicized the leak, launched a campaign against the surveillance system, and exposed the lack of industry resistance to the FSB's invasive measures. It also contextualizes SORM's evolution from Soviet-era telephone tapping to comprehensive digital surveillance, highlighting the security services' unchecked power and use of kompromat.
Chapter 8 details the Kremlin's multifaceted digital and psychological counteroffensive against the 2011 Russian protest movement following parliamentary elections. It describes coordinated DDOS attacks targeting independent media and protest-related websites, attempts to censor social media groups, and the use of kompromat to divide opposition leaders. Despite these efforts—including pressure on platforms like VKontakte and the deployment of Kremlin-aligned youth movements—the protests persisted, amplified by alternative social media channels like Facebook, culminating in Putin's televised call-in show where he deflected blame and proposed superficial reforms.