Disinformation agents working for the Russian government are keen to create false information by impersonating European media outlets. Among other tactics, they produce fake covers of well-known Western European publications. Dana Nicel described such activities aimed at Americans in the well-known U.S. news service politico.com.
She reports on the activities of the Russian disinformation group Storm-1679, which exploits high-profile events to flood the internet with fabricated materials styled to look like publications from outlets such as ABC News, the BBC and, most recently, Politico itself.
Since 2024, the group has been heavily involved in producing AI-generated videos, combining visuals with voice generators that mimic celebrities and experts. A striking example was a so-called “documentary series” styled after Netflix, with narration imitating Tom Cruise, released in the lead-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This year, the group has focused on spreading false content related to the war in Ukraine and the elections in Germany and Moldova. It also pushed disinformation ahead of the meeting between President Donald Trump’ and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The aim of all these operations is to build false narratives around the war in Ukraine, undermine confidence in NATO and its member states, and create information chaos. The mechanics of the operations rely on the “viral principle”, meaning that many fake materials are further passed on by well known figures, which increases their reach.
For example, a fake E! News video from February 2025 falsely claimed that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was funding celebrity visits to Ukraine. Before it was debunked, the video had been shared by, among others, Donald Trump Jr. and Elon Musk.
Although Russian online influence operations have been around for years, security experts warn that artificial intelligence is making it increasingly difficult for people to tell the truth from falsehood, politico.com points out.
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