Reset Tech Report

Verified Disinformation:

How X Profits From the Rise of a Pro-Kremlin Network

Executive Summary

This report identifies a rapidly expanding network of inauthentic accounts on X, which has doubled in size and activity over five months. The network disseminates Kremlin-aligned propaganda in six languages, using paid verification to amplify its reach.

We monitored this network for five months, ascribing it to a distinct branch of Russia’s ongoing Doppelganger operation. The network is part of a broader ecosystem of 6,500 accounts—mostly dormant assets—used in earlier campaign phases to target audiences in the EU and beyond with pro-Kremlin propaganda. All accounts in this network display clear markers of coordinated inauthentic behavior (CIB).

First identified in June 2024 as clusters of accounts sharing content in five languages: French, German, English, Russian, and Turkish, the network has since doubled in size to 530 accounts and added Polish as a sixth language. Between June and October 2024, it generated at least 16,000 posts.

The campaign strategically exploits two platform-specific features to boost content visibility: X’s trending hashtags and blue verification checkmarks. The latter also provides direct financial benefit for X, as the blue checkmark is a paid feature on the platform. Using verified accounts to enhance perceived legitimacy and amplify content has been a central tactic in another campaign on X recently investigated by Reset Tech. Our findings show that this feature is increasingly popular among disinformation and scam campaigns on the platform.

The campaign poses a risk to electoral processes by promoting narratives that align with Russia’s political agenda. Notably, 40 percent of all posts across different languages spread propaganda about Ukraine. Like other Kremlin-aligned operations like Doppelganger and Overload, this campaign references reputable media outlets to enhance the credibility of its propaganda. However, unlike Doppelganger, the accounts in this network do not share links to external domains that mimic Western media websites. Instead, they keep the content within the platform, using various media formats. The campaign primarily utilizes AI-generated videos that feature multilingual captions and voiceovers. Despite evident coordination, X has not yet suspended the entire network. As of October 31, 36 percent of the 530 analyzed accounts remain active, while the broader ecosystem of dormant accounts remains largely intact.

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