The FBI has revealed that Russia has been running a large-scale disinformation campaign, known as “Doppelganger,” to manipulate public opinion in the West. This campaign involved creating fake versions of major news outlets to spread pro-Russian narratives and undermine support for Ukraine. The FBI’s findings were summarized in court documents filed in Pennsylvania, where the case is being examined.
According to the FBI, Russia created a network of at least 60 fake news sites that mimicked major Western media outlets like Reuters, Fox News, and The Washington Post. These sites were operated by Russian government officials and tech companies and targeted the US, several European countries, Mexico, and Israel. The campaign used advanced methods, including AI, targeted advertising, and crypto payments, to hide its origins.
The investigation revealed that the Doppelganger campaign was orchestrated by high-ranking Russian officials, including Sergei Kiriyenko, the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia. The operation has been ongoing since at least May 2022 and was carried out through organizations under Kiriyenko’s control, such as Social Design Agency (SDA), Structura National Technology (Structura), and ANO Dialog.
The FBI also highlighted the close ties between these organizations and various Russian government bodies, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The campaign’s main focus was on influencing election campaigns, deploying bot networks, designing deceptive websites, and coordinating sophisticated information systems.
Other key figures in the operation include Ilya Gambashidze, a political technologist and co-founder of Structura, and Nikolai Tupikin, the current leader of Structura. Both Gambashidze and Tupikin have been sanctioned by the US for their roles in promoting Russian government interests and deceiving American citizens. Sofia Zakharova, an official from the Russian Department for Information and Communication Technology Development, also played a significant role in spearheading the campaign in Europe and Ukraine.
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