The US government uncovered a Russian plot to wage psychological warfare in Europe (Picture: AFP)
A Russian plan to manipulate Europe’s most influential people by flooding social media with Kremlin lies has been unveiled in bombshell documents.
The secret campaign, known as ‘Doppelganger’, used influencers, AI and bot accounts to spread Putin’s propaganda to a huge online audience.
The goal of the operation was to influence British and European politicians, discredit the US and Nato, and reduce support for Ukraine, according to documents from Russian psychological warfare meetings.
Details of the 277-page plan were revealed in court after the US government indicted two Russian citizens and seized 32 internet domains related to a plot to influence the 2024 American election. The plot is said to have been in place for at least the past two years.
Published by Politico, the memo explains how the goal of the plan was to trigger emotional reactions on social networks.
This included leaving comments on posts from popular accounts that focus on politics and economics. One example listed in the affidavit is ‘Americans are such scumbags!’ — a remark that would inevitably sow division and spark heated debate.
Putin’s ‘Doppelganger’ project by numbers
The Russian propaganda campaign came complete with KPIs. According to the affidavit filed in US court, the plan was to achieve the following through influencer, bot and AI posts:
1,000 comments per day, per country
30,000 comments per month, per country
60,000 comments per month for France and Germany combined
Fake news was a core part of the Russian strategy, which relied on copycat domains spreading false articles and videos made to look like they came from legitimate sources.
Germany was identified as being particularly vulnerable to this kind of Russian interference, according to the court filing.
Meanwhile, another bombshell report has shed new light on Vladimir Putin’s personal life.
A new report from the Dossier Centre claims the Russian president has two secret sons with former Olympic gymnast, Alina Kabaeva.
Alina attended many events at the Kremlin in the mid 2000s (Picture: East2West News)
According to the organisation, which tracks the criminal activity of various people associated with the Kremlin, the children live like princes in lavish homes far from the public eye.
The report also claims the boys annoy their iron-fisted father with their adoration for Disney characters.
It’s long been rumoured that Putin shares a family with Kabaeva, 41, whom he allegedly became engaged to in 2008 – though this has never been confirmed.
In its latest release, ‘Succession’, the Dossier Centre reports that Putin and his gymnast lover share two sons: Ivan Putin, 9, and Vladimir Putin Jr, 5.
Like millions of kids, the pair reportedly love Disney characters: ‘Ivan prefers Disney cartoons and, to the displeasure of his parents, plays pretending to be their characters.’
The pair were seen shaking hands during a meeting with gymnasts (Picture: East2West News)
‘They have to play mostly alone or with adults, who are constantly around Putin’s sons. They only see their parents late at night,’ the report added.
The children …read more
Source:: Metro
