Russian disinformation campaign targets the West with clones

Journalists from the Vot Tak portal have examined the type of information that has reached the internet thanks to Russian bots. "This is how Moscow's network campaign for spreading disinformation works," they argue. Deliberate actions by the Kremlin directed against the West have been codenamed "Doppelgänger."

Pro-Kremlin propaganda is thriving in Western countries and Ukraine itself, effectively disseminated by the Russians. Lies about the Ukrainian Armed Forces being rife with neo-Nazis, and Ukrainian refugees negatively impacting host countries, are just some examples of disinformation narratives that reach millions of recipients through social media bots.

This is the picture that emerges from the analysis of the "Doppelgänger" campaign conducted by journalists associated with the Vot Tak portal. However, it turns out that it's not just about social media.

The tools for spreading propaganda have also become clones of websites of popular media like Der Spiegel, Fox News, or "The Washington Post" - emphasizes Belsat TV.

The first traces of the action, codenamed "Doppelgänger," were revealed in the fall of 2022. Investigators within the DisinfoLab project discovered this. According to their data, Ukraine, the EU, and the USA were targeted by promoting the Kremlin's stance on the invasion of Ukraine and attempting to turn Western countries' residents against supporting the Ukrainian army.

Belsat adds that in November 2023, the US State Department reported similar Moscow activities in Latin America. Propaganda within the Doppelgänger operation is spread via social media platforms.

Besides regular text posts, "Kremlobots" publish fake quotes from well-known figures such as actors and musicians. Using artificial intelligence, videos and memes are created. The disinformation campaign also uses websites—clones of well-known Western and Ukrainian media, which are virtually indistinguishable from the originals—the only difference being a few characters in the address bar, writes Belsat.

Some sites closely resemble news portals, but their ownership and management are not disclosed.