In a bid to sway public opinion, the Kremlin-linked bot network 'Doppelgänger' has begun disseminating pseudo-journalistic articles advocating for a recent decision by the new U.S. President Donald Trump to freeze aid programs for Ukraine.

The propaganda push contends that Europe, too, should stop assisting Kyiv.

The articles have surfaced on clone websites of notable outlets like Germany's Der Spiegel and France's Le Parisien, claiming to represent the voices of the German and French populations, according to The Insider and the Bot Blocker Project .

The overarching message suggests that Trump's move will place Ukraine's financial burdens squarely on Europe's shoulders.

"Germany is at a crossroads: continue to take cues from across the ocean by supporting Ukraine and increasing military expenditure at the expense of everything else, leading to further industrial decline and rising unemployment and poverty. Or start saving its own existence, which is already teetering on the brink of economic disaster. Much will hinge on the decisions we make on February 23. We must approach them thoughtfully and consciously," fake Spiegel writes.

"The U.S. President cuts aid to corrupt Ukraine, while Emmanuel Macron seems determined to further ruin his own country. French citizens should brace for tough times ahead," remarks the counterfeit Le Parisien.

These publications are being amplified on Twitter by numerous fake accounts, echoing sentiments like, "I am for peace and stability, but not at any cost. We must also think of our own population," and "The U.S. is leaving and leaving Europe to deal with the consequences alone? That's unfair. We can't bear the entire burden," as well as concerns such as, "I'm worried about the constant discussions about arms supplies. I don't want Germany to be dragged even deeper into this conflict," among others.

Doppelgänger is the code name for a campaign aimed at interfering in the affairs of foreign countries. It involved creating a vast number of fake news websites and inauthentic social media accounts.

These sites and accounts, operating in various languages, disseminated false or distorted information about people or events to serve the interests of the Russian authorities and intelligence services. Specifically, this included content related to Ukrainian politicians and Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.

For instance, in late 2023, hundreds of accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and other social networks published quotes criticizing the war and Western financial aid to Ukraine. These accounts falsely claimed that celebrities like Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Angelina Jolie, and Cristiano Ronaldo had spoken out against aid to Ukraine and opposed President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Journalists from the German organization Correctiv have uncovered evidence linking the Doppelgänger campaign to the Russian government. It was revealed that one of the IP addresses used by the operators of this propaganda campaign is connected to an employee of the Main Communications Directorate of the State Information Processing Center of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Additionally, this IP address is part of the JSC Voentelecom network, a virtual mobile operator created by t2 in collaboration with the Russian Ministry of Defense.

One of the Doppelgänger information attacks was investigated by French authorities. In early 2024, they discovered that the IT companies National Technologies and the Agency for Social Design (ASD), both under European sanctions, were behind it. The ultimate owner of National Technologies LLC is the Russian defense conglomerate Rostec.

The bots also promoted the EuroBRICS website, which has proven connections to the psychological operations unit (military unit 54777) of the GRU.

Previously, the European Union imposed a package of sanctions against participants in this campaign to manipulate digital information, including the aforementioned National Technologies, ASD, and several officers from military unit 54777 of the GRU.

  War in Ukraine, Propaganda, Kremlin

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