Uncovering the Moscow-Made Deepfake Campaign Targeting U.S. Politics

[Social Media]

 

Recently surfaced Russian documents reveal the strategic operations of a Moscow-backed network disseminating disinformation aimed at American voters. This trove of over 150 documents, reviewed by *The Washington Post*, showcases an intricate, coordinated effort by Russian intelligence to leverage deepfake videos and inflammatory content. The documents cover the period from March 2021 to August 2024 and offer a rare glimpse into the workings of a network described by researchers and intelligence officials as the most active source of Russian-originated fake news targeting Americans within the past year.

 

 

One key player in this network is John Dougan, an American who allegedly collaborates with Russian intelligence. Dougan's network recently made headlines with a fake video that went viral, smearing Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz. This deepfake, identified as Russian-made by U.S. intelligence officials, garnered nearly 5 million views within 24 hours on X, as confirmed by Microsoft. According to McKenzie Sadeghi, a researcher with NewsGuard, Dougan’s operation has achieved unprecedented reach, amassing 64 million views on posts, articles, and videos since September 2023.

 

“Compared with other Russian disinformation campaigns, Dougan has a clear understanding of what would resonate with Western audiences and the political atmosphere, which I think has made this more effective,” Sadeghi said.

 

These documents also indicate Dougan's financial ties to a Moscow institute founded by Alexander Dugin, a far-right ideologue with substantial influence over Russian President Vladimir Putin's imperialist agenda. Often referred to as “Putin’s brain,” Dugin has been a critical figure in Russia’s revanchist ideologies and a driving influence behind its invasion of Ukraine. Evidence within these files includes records of direct payments from Khoroshenky, a Russian figure associated with Dugin’s circle, to Dougan’s Moscow bank account starting in April 2022. The records also reveal frequent meetings between Khoroshenky, Dougan, and another collaborator, Korovin. 

 

In response to these allegations, Dougan denied working as an operative for Moscow. He claimed to operate independently and dismissed the payments as nonexistent. “No one sends me money for anything,” he said, further explaining that he worked as an IT consultant for an American company and suggesting that the documents seen by *The Washington Post* were likely fabricated. He did, however, defend his controversial stance on the spread of information. “I will tell you hypothetically, if they were my sites,” he said, “then I am merely fighting fire with fire because the West is f------ lying about everything that’s happening. They are lying about everything.”

 

As disinformation researchers and intelligence officials continue to assess the reach and impact of Dougan’s operations, the mounting evidence draws a clearer picture of Moscow’s sophisticated methods of influence over American political discourse, signaling an evolving landscape of foreign interference through digital manipulation and misinformation campaigns.

 

Based on a report from the WP 2024-10-26

 

 

 

[Tug]

Hope they can get this guy up on charges!

[watchdog2]

when will you tire of publishing neocon nonsense?   "Russia bad" is one of the biggest scams on the last decade and, BTW, the Dems will still lose....

[Jingthing]

6 minutes ago, watchdog2 said:

when will you tire of publishing neocon nonsense?   "Russia bad" is one of the biggest scams on the last decade and, BTW, the Dems will still lose....

Are you so sure about that? 

Russian State TV:

 

[Asquith Production]

1 hour ago, watchdog2 said:

when will you tire of publishing neocon nonsense?   "Russia bad" is one of the biggest scams on the last decade and, BTW, the Dems will still lose....

Any country that aligns itself with a pariah state for help is in my book is bad. Russia asking for help from North Korea is laughable at best and disgusting at worse. Russia is condoning human rights violations.

[thesetat2013]

4 hours ago, Tug said:

Hope they can get this guy up on charges!

Only if he is guilty.

 

Why is it so hard to believe that the government is lying? The lie to the people every day. In fact, they had been lying about Bidens mental state for a long time before the debate exposed him. Harris was his accomplice in those lies as well. But @Tug seems to disregard those lies made by Biden, Harris, and their administration. Let them have actual, factual proof this man is spreading fake news for the Russians. Because it is very hard to believe a government that is constantly spreading misinformation  and lies like Bidens government has been doing for so long already.

[newbee2022]

2 hours ago, watchdog2 said:

when will you tire of publishing neocon nonsense?   "Russia bad" is one of the biggest scams on the last decade and, BTW, the Dems will still lose....

Oh, I can see the Russian propaganda works, at least on you. 🤗. 

Half of the nation is too illiterate to differentiate between facts and fakes (Russian propaganda) and is gaslighted by some influenced media. 

So, you're not alone😂

[mdr224]

3 hours ago, watchdog2 said:

when will you tire of publishing neocon nonsense?   "Russia bad" is one of the biggest scams on the last decade and, BTW, the Dems will still lose....

Im not democrat and i dont consider russia as friends. They certainly dont see us as their friends

[frank83628]

Russia Russia Russia... YAWN.

[john donson]

hunter biden was russian blabla.....  not it was not... 

[frank83628]

 

27 minutes ago, mdr224 said:

Im not democrat and i dont consider russia as friends. They certainly dont see us as their friends

if you listen to Putin speaking he always respectful and refers the the US, UK etc as 'friends' or 'our Western friends' whereas those same countries politicians do not offer the same respect. in fact the total opposite!

[Chomper Higgot]

52 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

 

if you listen to Putin speaking he always respectful and refers the the US, UK etc as 'friends' or 'our Western friends' whereas those same countries politicians do not offer the same respect. in fact the total opposite!

While threatening to use nuclear weapons.

[bradiston]

54 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

 

if you listen to Putin speaking he always respectful and refers the the US, UK etc as 'friends' or 'our Western friends' whereas those same countries politicians do not offer the same respect. in fact the total opposite!

Links?

 

Mad Maria Zakarova and Demented Dmitri Peskov bang on about the decadent West and the Anglosaksy (a derogatory slur for an imaginary Anglo Saxon hegemony, aka the collective West). They're both rabid!

 

If Putin uses the term "friends" with regard to any of his enemies, including those who oppose his invasion of Ukraine, you can rest assured it's heavily ironic.

 

See the BBC video where Steve Rosenberg asks Putin how the invasion of Ukraine matches the claptrap he spouts about the high moral idealism of BRICS. He can hardly contain his outrage. It's full of "what abouts", accusations of lying, broken promises etc etc. A very feeble attempt at justification of his insane military operation.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxons_(slur)

 

[frank83628]

2 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Links?

 

Mad Maria Zakarova and Demented Dmitri Peskov bang on about the decadent West and the Anglosaksy (a derogatory slur for an imaginary Anglo Saxon hegemony, aka the collective West). They're both rabid!

 

If Putin uses the term "friends" with regard to any of his enemies, including those who oppose his invasion of Ukraine, you can rest assured it's heavily ironic.

 

See the BBC video where Steve Rosenberg asks Putin how the invasion of Ukraine matches the claptrap he spouts about the high moral idealism of BRICS. He can hardly contain his outrage. It's full of "what abouts", accusations of lying, broken promises etc etc. A very feeble attempt at justification of his insane military operation.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxons_(slur)

 

listen to Putin speak sometimes rather than relying on edited msm versions

[Chomper Higgot]

12 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

listen to Putin speak sometimes rather than relying on edited msm versions

Listen to who it is defends Putin.

[bradiston]

4 hours ago, frank83628 said:

listen to Putin speak sometimes rather than relying on edited msm versions

Yeah? In Russian? Is that what you do?

[frank83628]

1 minute ago, bradiston said:

Yeah? In Russian? Is that what you do?

yes, but there are live translations, and subtitles.

[bradiston]

19 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

yes, but there are live translations, and subtitles.

You're fluent in Russian? Or, you trust the translations? The subs? How can you compare them to his speech if you don't understand Russian? He very rarely appears in public or talks openly to the press. Everything is stage managed. Tell me if you think the BBC video has been tampered with or faked in any way?

 

And how do you know yours haven't been?

Edited October 26 by bradiston

[frank83628]

13 minutes ago, bradiston said:

You're fluent in Russian? Or, you trust the translations? The subs? How can you compare them to his speech if you don't understand Russian? He very rarely appears in public or talks openly to the press. Everything is stage managed. Tell me if you think the BBC video has been tampered with or faked in any way?

 

And how do you know yours haven't been?

what bbc video?

[bradiston]

1 hour ago, frank83628 said:

what bbc video?

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c9vn8z2wwy9o

 

The BBC interviewer, Steve Rosenberg, speaks fluent Russian and he and Putin converse in Russian. Tell me if the subs are misleading. Or the video has been edited in any way?

[bradiston]

12 minutes ago, bradiston said:

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c9vn8z2wwy9o

 

The BBC interviewer, Steve Rosenberg, speaks fluent Russian and he and Putin converse in Russian. Tell me if the subs are misleading. Or the video has been edited in any way?

In any case, Putin's case is that the Ukraine invasion was justified because of the actions of NATO. Well, then, take it up with NATO, not hapless Ukraine who did nothing wrong, and who you knew wasn't in a position to defend itself. Just a typical bullying stance. It's all NATO's fault, so well invade Ukraine! The truth is, he wanted to invade and found what appears to be a convenient excuse: NATO expansion east, and the Maidan "revolution". Both are based on fundamental lies.

 

https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/115204.htm

Edited October 26 by bradiston

[JonnyF]

With Harris as the Democrat candidate, there is really no need for Russian interference.

 

Just keep her talking.