Matryoshka Campaign Uses Deepfakes to Impersonate Academics for Pro-Russian Propaganda
The pro-Russian Matryoshka disinformation campaign has expanded to Bluesky using deepfake videos with AI-cloned voices to impersonate academics from universities including Aix-Marseille, Harvard, and Cambridge, promoting anti-Western narratives. Researchers found the videos present false claims about Olympic Games organization and Western support for Ukraine while using bot networks to amplify reach on the platform.
What happened
The pro-Russian 'Matryoshka' disinformation campaign, previously identified on X, has expanded to the social media platform Bluesky. The operation creates deepfake videos that impersonate academics and experts from universities including Aix-Marseille University, Sunderland University, Harvard University, and the University of Cambridge.
In one example, a video of a law professor from Aix-Marseille University was doctored with manipulated audio; the original video from October 2024 showed the professor reviewing his department's year, but the deepfake version presented him discussing 'numerous errors in the organisation of the Olympic Games' and linking them to 'the French economy' and 'sanctions against Russia.' The videos use AI tools to replicate professors' voices, with some manipulated footage showing speakers discussing only off-screen content.
Reported impact
The deepfake videos present anti-Western narratives, including claims that the West should end support for Ukraine, that Europe should align with Russia, and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a dictator. The accounts post alongside phrases like 'Do you think that's true?' and tags of media outlets and fact-checkers, designed to encourage resharing and appear legitimate.
Index analysis
According to the @antibot4navalny collective and researchers at Bellingcat and the Atlantic Council's digital forensic research lab, the operation uses bot networks of fake profiles to artificially amplify visibility. Researchers noted that Bluesky's moderation is less developed than X's, making users and fact-checkers on the platform more vulnerable to the campaign.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.