Trolls and traffickers target Facebook group for Ukrainian refugees

One of the largest Facebook groups matching Ukrainian refugees with UK host families has warned of the dangers of infiltration posed by Russian trolls and traffickers.

Room for Ukrainians in the UK is a Facebook group that was set up little over two weeks ago and already has 12,500 members. Most of those posting are Ukrainians in need of sponsors and British people who want to open their homes to the new arrivals.

However, the founder of the group, Diana Shore, 57, an assistant professor at a UK university, said that alongside generous offers of help, she is also having to tackle Russian trolls trying to infiltrate the group. She has also raised concerns about traffickers taking advantage of the lack of government regulation and oversight of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Shore has called on Facebook to step up and use the same kind of software used by online dating agencies that identifies the geographical location of a person posting messages, so that trolls in Russia or elsewhere who try to damage and disrupt the site can be more easily spotted and barred.

Shore said she set up the group because she felt she had to do something to help.

Facebook has been approached for comment.