A pro-Russian propaganda group, tracked by Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center since 2022, is using high-profile events to spread disinformation and impersonate reputable organizations. The group, known as Storm-1679, has focused on flooding the internet with fake content surrounding elections, including the German SNAP election and the upcoming Moldovan parliamentary vote.
The group uses artificial intelligence (AI) to combine videos with AI-generated audio impersonations of celebrity voices, making it harder for people to discern what’s real. This tactic was seen in a fake documentary series featuring Netflix’s logo and an AI-generated deepfake voice of actor Tom Cruise as the narrator ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The group has also been using this technique to generate fake videos impersonating trusted sources like journalists, professors, and law enforcement to sow seeds of distrust toward NATO member countries and Ukraine.
Experts say that while the majority of these videos rarely gain traction and are quickly debunked, the content occasionally takes off. The Trump administration’s scaling back of federal agencies tasked with cracking down on disinformation has been criticized as a “dream come true for Putin,” according to Ivana Stradner, a researcher on Russia at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
The incident highlights the growing threat of disinformation and the need for stronger measures to combat it. As AI tools continue to advance, it’s essential to develop effective strategies to counter these efforts and protect democratic institutions from manipulation.
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/17/russia-us-news-media-disinformation-campaign-00512173