Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Neftchi/Archive

Evidence submitted by MarshallBagramyan
For those who don't already know, Neftchi has been suspected or caught using several socks in the past, including Talyshli, RetlawSnellac, probably DerWolF and probably others.

On Jan 23 he was blocked for three days, when he attempted to evade his block starting on Jan 25 with a series of IPs, namely,, , . Even after Neftchi was unblocked they continued to edit, but obviously he could not reinstate the changes made by the IPs. IP trace leads to Netherlands, where Neftchi was editing while blocked; had Neftchi reinstated them he would have been accused of evading his block. So Neftchi reinstated his changes with the IPs against User:Buckshot06, by doing them from the same location from where he edited when evading his block until both users could settle. He then returned to that article. Note that he received a final warning to always log in when editing and with only one account. He read that warning but then chose to remove it.

More recently, Kheo17, a newly active editor made a series of changes on the Khojaly Massacre article, which has led the article to look like this. Note that this new editor removed the range of victims from the infobox, added an unreliable website as his source, and also added a new section citing a book which does not seem to exist, but is used on several Azerbaijani websites. He also re-added the info and quotation from current President of Armenia Serzh Sarkissian, which was already included in the article. I removed it in good faith but was promptly reverted by a user named Thesmatesguy, who labeled my edit as vandalism and went so far as to report me, tagging me as a vandal in the report. He is perhaps a sleeper account, after more than three weeks of inactivity he became only active the day he first jumped out of nowhere to revert to User:Interfase's version on Azerbaijan Uzundara here. He made a few edits from then on in, until Feb. 27, the day those quotes were added on the Khojaly Massacre article. Just recently, an IP has expanded that section. What is interesting is that the IP trace once again raises the suspicion that it is Neftchi. Given the warning by Moreschi, if Neftchi is using other accounts again, he is evading his new restrictions by editing with more than one account.


 * Given the below conclusion by Dominic, I was wondering if you can find any correlation between Neftchi and the IP 145.93.208.113., which edited while Neftchi was blocked (thus, a case of block evasion). Has there been any IP which edited after this warning? Since, in your reply, you provide no information on 86.93.130.146. He was formally placed under restriction, so any other use of IPs after that date is a case of block evasion, correct? Also, since there was a CU run on RetlawSnellac and his IPs are on record, can it be checked with Kheo17, reinforcing the evidence that Kheo17 is Neftchi.--Marshal Bagramyan (talk) 03:11, 12 March 2010 (UTC)

Comments by accused parties
See Defending yourself against claims. Linking everyone in my geography is highly unfair, I reverted the Khojaly article because of vandalism, as an entire section was deleted without discussion. There are thousands of folks here who have access to Wikipedia, so why do you act so "suprized" and accuse me for some organized sockpuppet. The fact is you lack evidence and until you do this all is just suspicion. Neftchi (talk) 08:07, 16 March 2010 (UTC)

Comments by other users
I'd just like to record the significant trouble I've had with Neftchi earlier. He persists in uploading photos of questionable attribution (earlier photos have been removed after it was proven to Commons' satisfaction that they were others' work, taken off the internet, and had their identification markings removed) and frequently distorting statements. He changes names of institutions just about according to whim and then adds distorted material. For example, reports that Azerbaijan will not be able to make military aircraft for at least five years are cited & referenced in support of the statement that Azerbaijan makes military aircraft. Thus if Neftchi is continuing sock-puppet behaviour his overall value to wikipedia may not be high. Buckshot06 (talk) 02:04, 2 March 2010 (UTC)

Clerk, patrolling admin and checkuser comments
Requested by Marshal Bagramyan (talk) 18:51, 1 March 2010 (UTC)

. I think I've seen enough for a check here. The IPs geolocate to locations about 1 hour's drive apart, according to GMaps. Tim Song (talk) 18:45, 3 March 2010 (UTC)

I can confirm that there have been many edits from about a dozen IP addresses by Neftchi recently. I'm not sure that there is any reason to identify them beyond that, so I'll leave it there. It is also that Kheo17 is related to Neftchi, based on geographical proximity. Thesmatestguy is ❌ to those two. Additionally, Absolutetruth = Quantum666, though these two are also unrelated to the others, and I haven't been able to find a main account. Dominic·t 12:17, 11 March 2010 (UTC)

No action taken per the CU results. As far as the abovementioned match, there is a 3 month gap between edits, so this is probably the case of abandoning one account and opening another (not abusive sockpuppetry). –MuZemike 19:00, 16 March 2010 (UTC)

Evidence submitted by MarshallBagramyan
This is not the first time that I have suspected Neftchi of socking nor the first time that I have asked an investigation to be carried out (for the results of the previous one, see here .) However, I believe that Neftchi is socking or using IPs to circumvent the restrictions that have been placed against him.

Last time, the results came as possible, based on geographical proximity between Neftchi and Kheo17. Neftchi was given a last chance prior to that by Moreschi, because of his continuous uses of sockuppets. He was placed on restriction to use only one account.

Note that, even if they live, according to the CU, in the same area, by checking their contributions they seem to avoid editing at the same time, always editing hours apart. Also Kheo17 has the same exact interests as Neftchi: the Azerbaijani Armed forces. ,, , , ,.

From Neftchi's contributions in article histories, we can see he's the main contributor of the articles on the Azerbaijani army. Also, Kheo17's interest in Azerbaijan football teams is paralleled by Neftchi's. Neftchi's user name is actually derived from an Azeri football team. Another account which should be checked, is another IP address which traces back to Neftchi's location. The IP is 87.210.62.166, since it seems that Neftchi decided to use an IP to edit the same articles, which his edits were questioned by an administrator (Buckshot06), attempting to avoid scrutiny. As for the IP 80.56.249.232, check the IP addition here, then this. The IP traces back to the same location as Neftchi and Kheo17.

Note that Neftchi does not stop disrupting even with his primary account. After a long time of inactivity under this account, he jumps out of nowhere and lowers the number of Armenian participants in World War II in the Soviet Army by replacing it with the number of those killed in combat according to an obscure source denoted simply as "Krivosheev." The kind of distortion of sources is nothing new, unfortunately.

Neftchi appears to be continuing to disrupt and using socks, even though he was given a chance that not every other editor is accorded with, when he impersonated a real-life photographer to give permission to use his pictures and even commenting on subjects under that person's name - getting away without a ban, for that matter. Given this background, I believe another investigation is in order.--Marshal Bagramyan (talk) 01:51, 12 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Reply to MuZemike: Neftchi is not only restricted from editing with one account, but he is not even allowed to edit through IPs; he is only allowed to edit logged with his Neftchi account. Note that the last time, Dominic confirmed: "I can confirm that there have been many edits from about a dozen IP addresses by Neftchi recently." The case was archived without any intervention, even though Neftchi did not respect his restriction and continued to edit through IPs. And what's more, not only did he not respect the restriction, but some of the IPs were used to edit while his primary account was blocked and yet no action was taken.


 * Neftchi claims that Kheo17 and the IPs did not revert for him, but they were in fact used to make disruptive edits, while Neftchi was only allowed to edit only when logged in and with one account. See the number of warnings were issued against 87.210.62.166., (vandalism),  (vandalism). It was the same administrator who issued warnings to Neftchi for his disruption in the same articles. Mysteriously, after receiving such attention, the number of disruptions decreased as well as his contributions under Neftchi account and other IPs and account (Kheo17) just continued disrupting where Neftchi's account left off, with the same POV pushing and interest.


 * What are the chances that, just as mysteriously, those who are suspected traced back to the same location as Neftchi? Is there any new element since then? Well, yes. IP 87.210.62.166 and Kheo17 edit on the number of troops, which figures Neftchi was in conflict with with another editor. There is now enough element to request a community ban against Neftchi, for his long term sockpuppetry issue or a ban, under the final warning Moreschi gave him. But another CU is in order, so that if by chance he edited Kheo17 on the same computer after the first CU, this will facilitate a block for Kheo17's account as well.--Marshal Bagramyan (talk) 02:04, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Comments by accused parties
See Defending yourself against claims. I am not related to Kheo17, and your report is frivolous. You did not show any abusive use of multiple accounts. Kheo never reverted any articles for me and neither did any of the other IPs. Also I would like to add that MarshallBagramyan has in fact failed to notify me in my talkpage on this accusation, which is a requirement. Neftchi (talk) 17:52, 12 May 2010 (UTC)

Clerk, patrolling admin and checkuser comments
Requested by Marshal Bagramyan (talk) 01:51, 12 May 2010 (UTC)

Is there a reason to believe that the CU result would be any different than the previous one? –MuZemike 15:16, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

per lack of response and per my comment above. If CU was inconclusive the last time around, then chances are it will be inconclusive the next time around. –MuZemike 01:56, 17 May 2010 (UTC)

Evidence submitted by MarshallBagramyan
I have good reason to believe that the account Sinnik is simply a sleeper account used by Neftchi. His editing history makes this very clear, as last time he came out from nowhere to revert after months of absence. The material reverted concerns the military budget, which are the latest discussions by Neftchi himself. Please note that this is the perhaps the third or forth SPI I am filing against Neftchi, as evidence indicates that he has abused multiple accounts several times in the past. --Marshal Bagramyan (talk) 19:04, 18 June 2010 (UTC)

Comments by accused parties
See Defending yourself against claims.
 * This your 8th attempt to accuse me of sockpuppetry. However you fail to provide any evidence of disruptive activity. Neftchi (talk) 09:00, 20 June 2010 (UTC)

Comments by other users
I strongly suspect User:Sinnik and User:Neftchi are the same individual. I've had to warn both of them on exactly the same page, Azerbaijani Armed Forces, with exactly the same issue, misquoting a source saying that the 2010 budget is $2.39 billion while the source says $2.3 billion. Sinnik: Neftchi:  Buckshot06 (talk) 11:22, 20 June 2010 (UTC)

Clerk, patrolling admin and checkuser comments
Requested by Marshal Bagramyan (talk) 19:04, 18 June 2010 (UTC)


 * isn't connected to anybody. Brandon (talk) 01:02, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Evidence submitted by MarshallBagramyan
This is now the fourth or fifth case that I have filed against user Neftchi. Previous investigations over the years have confirmed that Neftchi has often hidden behind IPs or used sockpuppet accounts to navigate around restrictions which have been imposed against him. In August 2009, an investigation concluded that he was impersonating a real life individual and uploading his photos onto Wikipedia without permission (see here and here) and was consequently blocked for one week.

In January and February of this year, two high-level administrators concluded once more that a slew of IP addresses editing articles which Neftchi has been extremely active on were most probably related to him (see here) and warned him to only through his legitimate account, lest he be banned.

Now, on the talk page of the Western Azerbaijan article, an IP whose address is virtually the same as the ones which the two administrators above concluded were probably Neftchi has made a few minor contributions, largely accusative and inflammatory in nature (see his contributions history here ). Interestingly enough, just yesterday Neftchi edited the Western Azerbaijan article in a manner which can be viewed as partisan toward the side of the IP. The geographical proximity, the grammar and the editing style between the two accounts otherwise strongly suggest that this IP is simply being exploited by Neftchi. Marshal Bagramyan (talk) 17:44, 7 November 2010 (UTC)

Auto-generated every six hours.
 * User compare report

Comments by accused parties
See Defending yourself against claims.

Clerk, patrolling admin and checkuser comments

 * - CU will not connect a user account to IPs. We'll have to go by evidence on this one. —  Hello Annyong  (say whaaat?!) 13:15, 8 November 2010 (UTC)
 * I'm closing this case for now. None of those IPs have been repeatedly use, and I don't see enough evidence to justify a long-term rangeblock (plus there would be a lot of collateral damage). If the user's behavior starts up again then relist. —  Hello Annyong  (say whaaat?!) 13:25, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

14 May 2011

 * Suspected sockpuppets




 * User compare report Auto-generated every hour.

''Please list evidence below this line. Remember to sign at the end of your section with 4 tilde characters " ~ "''

The account was created to comment in a particular RfC to support Neftchi's point of view.  Ashot  ( talk ) 13:56, 14 May 2011 (UTC)

Comments by other users
''Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.''
 * Ashot failed to notify me on this accusation, which is very impolite. Just because the sock supports my view is not evidence. I also want to point out that 2 different IPs supported Ashot view and reverted the page on several occasions. See and . Perhaps these were your anon socks. Neftchi (talk) 14:27, 16 May 2011 (UTC)

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

 * I don't think a CU is necessary here; TractorRU is clearly a single purpose account. And now it's been blocked and tagged. —  Hello Annyong  (say whaaat?!) 14:13, 14 May 2011 (UTC)
 * Sorry, I'm actually adding an endorse to this to see if Neftchi is circumventing an account restriction. —  Hello Annyong  (say whaaat?!) 21:39, 14 May 2011 (UTC)
 * ❌ to Neftchi, the user is clean of socking. TractorRU relates undeniably to .  Keegan (talk) 05:38, 16 May 2011 (UTC)
 * Huh, interesting. I've updated the tag on TractorRU to reflect the findings. —  Hello Annyong  (say whaaat?!) 11:42, 16 May 2011 (UTC)