The Russians hacked Merkel's phone and your democracy—wanna see how they did it?
They call themselves Fancy Bear, Cozy Bear or Voodoo Bear. Elite units of the Russian secret services are hidden behind these code names. They are among the most dangerous hackers in the world. The bears were already in the computer of then-Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015, interfered in the US election campaign in 2016 and are currently influencing the war in Ukraine. The makers of the successful YouTube channel “Simplicissimus” in co-production with funk and SWR are back and show the destructive potential of state hacking with this documentary. With the help of leading German hackers, cyberspace experts and a lot of humor, they delicately demystify the Russian bears: Who are the people behind them? How do they operate? And what makes them so incredibly dangerous?
Writing
Simplicissimus humor makes cyber-espionage actually entertaining
Production
64 tight minutes—no documentary bloat, just pure intel
Director
David
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear are actually APT28 and APT29—Russian military intelligence (GRU) and foreign intelligence (SVR) respectively, not just cool hacker names.
The 2016 DNC hack wasn't sophisticated code—it was a phishing email. One lazy staffer clicked, and history wobbled. The film reveals how embarrassingly simple state-level attacks often are.
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