The U.S. Department of Justice has frozen 32 domain names that were posing as major U.S. and European media outlets but were actually promoting Russian propaganda, writes the online newspaper The Moscow Times.
This action follows an investigation by the Justice Department and the FBI into a large-scale disinformation campaign orchestrated by Kremlin-backed entities.
The campaign, known as "Double," involves Russian organizations like the Agency for Social Design and GC "Struktura," and is led by Sergei Kiriyenko, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration.
The investigation revealed that these domains were registered by individuals working under Russian government direction. Fake websites mimicking reputable sources like The Washington Post and Fox News redirected users to Russian propaganda content.
AI in use
Attorney General Merrick Garland noted that the operation utilized global influencers, AI-generated social media ads, and fake profiles posing as U.S. or other non-Russian citizens to mislead users.
For instance, a domain called washingtonpost.pm featured articles with pro-Russian, anti-Ukrainian viewpoints, misrepresenting U.S. policies.
Another site, washingtonpost.ltd, showcased a fabricated video claiming to show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussing American biolabs.
An attempt to sway public opinion
Internal Russian documents obtained by the FBI outline a strategy to amplify the impact of this disinformation through social media comments. The plan included generating thousands of comments to sway public opinion in targeted countries, such as France and Germany.
Additionally, the Justice Department has charged RT employees Konstantin Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva with money laundering and violations of the Foreign Agents Act. They operated a Tennessee-based company, despite RT being banned in the U.S., receiving about $10 million to produce propaganda content.
Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva face up to 20 years in prison.
