Qilin gives us a lot of data to analyze.  We do not know where this team obtains this data. Another important question is why they give us this information. We know that any outside contact is a risk for them. But they contacted us and offered to work together. We had to figure out why, so we asked them for an interview. Now we are publishing this conversation without censorship, cuts, or editing.

Q. Let's start from the beginning. Who are you?

A. Anyone can easily find information about our organization on the white internet. We are called criminals, hackers, extortionists. The media around the world have written a lot to discredit our organization. However, none of them asked us a direct question—why we do what we do...

Q. And why you do what you do? It seems obvious that you are making money. 

A. Of course, we love pushing bitcoins out of fat capitalist cats. We get a lot of pleasure when we take money away from the rich. However, when talking about money, the main point is often lost. The main question that arises here is: what is this money for? Those from whom we take this money could have spent it on their villas, yachts, and sports cars. For us, money is a tool for struggle. We spend it on supporting those who fight for their ideas. We are idealists. We help other people fight for their freedom. 

Q. Can you name specific organizations or activists that you help?

A. No, I won't name them. However, you can guess. Just look around. There are countries and governments that constantly interfere in the business of others. They come with their tanks and soldiers and say, “We will give you democracy, we will give you freedom.” Any normal person understands that tanks and soldiers do not bring freedom. Almost nothing has changed in this world over the last thousand years. The strong beat the weak, the strong take everything from the weak. However, something has changed. The modern world and technology have given the weak a chance to resist. That is what we are doing. 

Q. I don't understand how exactly you resist? What does that mean?

A. Let me explain with an example. There is a large country, let's call it “ASU.” Twenty-five years ago, this country invaded another small country, let's call it “Qari.” We attack the office of a large corporation operating in ASU, take their money, and then give it to the rebels in Qari. We return what was stolen. And, of course, we keep a little for ourselves. 

Q. That's a very clear example. There's one thing I don't understand. Why are you doing this? 

A. Why are you doing your project? There comes a moment in every person's life when they realize that they need to do something other than just earn money. To do something that benefits not only themselves. Some people get involved in charity work. Others look for a hobby. Our project is our hobby and our charity work.

Q. I understand that you cannot disclose details about yourself, but are you cybersecurity professionals or newcomers to the field? What motivated you to do this work?

A. Until a certain point, we were all working in IT and just making money. But then we met on a darknet forum. At first, we just discussed the current situation in the world, politics, wars, and so on. Very quickly, we realized that we could have some influence on the situation. And then we started to take action. 

Q. Where are you located? How many of you are there? 

A. I can't say where we are located - it's a matter of security. Of course, we don't have an office. We don't know each other personally. We don't drink beer together at a bar on weekends. I think the members of our group live and work in different countries. These include Europe, the US, Asia... I can't say for sure because I don't know myself. I can say one thing: we have hundreds of partners, and their number is growing every month. 

Q. How do you choose targets for attacks? 

A. We only attack business structures that are directly or indirectly linked to politicians who make important decisions on the international stage. We are primarily interested in politicians who make decisions related to global support for warring countries. If a country's political leadership makes many promises but fails to deliver on them, the business structures associated with it are subject to our attacks. We are not fighting against common people. We are simply trying to get through to the political elite who do not keep their word.

Q. Are you afraid that you will be caught and go to prison for breaking the law?

A. That's a really deep question. Let's think about who makes the laws. And what is a law? Let's talk about marijuana, for example. In one country, smoking weed can get you the death penalty, while in another, there are tax breaks for growing it. Don't you find that strange? Laws are made by people who benefit from them. So, to fear the law means to fear the authorities, the people who think they are gods. So no, we are not afraid of them. Because we know how we can respond. And we will definitely respond. Let them fear us. 

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