cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/10914847

Fabricated news reports, impersonated media outlets and AI-generated videos are becoming part of a wider Russian-linked effort to influence political debate across Europe. With elections approaching in several countries, the campaigns are moving from one political target to another.

...

Russia's Operation Overload is not confined to France and Germany. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue analysed 135 pieces of content published during the first three months of 2025 and found material directed at 10 countries.

Alongside France and Germany, the campaign targeted Denmark, Italy, Poland, Spain, Ukraine, and the UK, as well as Canada and the US.

...

Three-quarters of the content focused on Ukraine and EU member states, with France, Germany and Ukraine receiving the greatest attention. The operation impersonated more than 80 media organisations, universities, and law-enforcement bodies. Some videos combined genuine footage with AI-generated voices to make journalists, academics, and police officers appear to deliver false or inflammatory statements.

Most of the posts received little engagement. But threre are outliers. One fabricated video reached more than 4 million views after prominent accounts shared it. Researchers said the operation’s high output increased the likelihood that some content would eventually reach a wider audience.

...

Archived