Russian Propaganda Campaign Uses Deepfakes and Fake News Websites, NPR Reports

Russia is intensifying its propaganda efforts across the globe as numerous countries prepare for elections this year, according to intelligence officials, internet researchers, and technology companies. These influence operations are particularly focused on undermining support for Ukraine while targeting American voters, European elections, and the Paris Olympics.

“Russia remains the most active foreign threat to our elections,” Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told senators during a recent briefing on election risks.

The Kremlin’s disinformation campaigns employ various tactics, from deepfake videos to fake news websites and social media manipulation. A recent example includes a fabricated video of State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, likely created using artificial intelligence, which falsely showed him claiming a Russian city was a legitimate target for Ukrainian forces using U.S. weapons.

Russian propaganda efforts follow consistent patterns: they attempt to erode support for Ukraine, discredit democratic institutions, exploit existing political divisions, and increasingly leverage AI tools to expand their reach and impact.

“They’re often producing narratives that feel like they’re throwing spaghetti at a wall,” explained Andy Carvin, managing editor at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab. “If they can get more people on the internet arguing with each other or trusting each other less, then in some ways their job is done.”

Some operations have been directly linked to the Kremlin, including a network known as Doppelganger, whose operators have been sanctioned by both the U.S. and European Union. Doppelganger has impersonated legitimate news outlets like The Guardian, Der Spiegel, The Washington Post, and Fox News, while also posing as NATO, government agencies, and international organizations.

In March, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned two Russian companies identified as being behind Doppelganger — Social Design Agency and Structura — and their founders, stating they operated “at the direction of the Russian Presidential Administration.”

Another network, identified by NewsGuard, consists of 167 websites “masquerading as independent local news publishers in the U.S.” with names like D.C. Weekly, Boston Times, and Election Watch. This network has been connected to a former Florida deputy sheriff now living in Moscow.

The volume of Russian propaganda is being significantly boosted by artificial intelligence tools. According to OpenAI, Doppelganger has used AI to translate articles into multiple languages and generate social media content. Another Russian operation, dubbed Bad Grammar, used AI to debug code for automatically posting on Telegram.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has banned Russian media outlets including RT, Sputnik, Voice of Europe, and RIA Novosti from publishing within the bloc. However, researchers have found RT articles reposted across hundreds of other websites available in Europe, often without indicating their Russian origin.

Russian operations are also targeting the Paris Olympics. Microsoft reported that Doppelganger has created fake French-language news sites pushing claims of corruption in the Olympic organizing body and warning of potential violence.

While many identified Russian influence operations haven’t reached large audiences, experts note that Russia continues its efforts through volume and persistence.

“It’s almost like producing cheaply manufactured goods and just getting it out there in the world, hoping that maybe one particular gadget ends up becoming the popular toy of the season, even if the others completely fail,” Carvin said.

Researchers caution against viewing Russia as an all-powerful puppeteer, especially since much of what its operations amplify is homegrown content that already exists in targeted countries. However, Russia’s willingness to devote substantial resources to these campaigns and experiment with various approaches makes its propaganda efforts a persistent concern for democratic institutions worldwide.