Norms Impact
Russia is quietly churning out fake content posing as US news
When the federal government retreats from counter–foreign influence work, it normalizes leaving our information space undefended as impersonation “news” targets elections and public trust.
Aug 17, 2025
Sources
Summary
A pro-Russian influence operation tracked as Storm-1679 has been publishing fabricated videos and posts that mimic trusted U.S. and international outlets, including POLITICO, ABC News, and BBC. At the same time, the Trump administration has scaled back U.S. government capacities that targeted foreign disinformation, including actions at the State Department and DHS. The result is a wider, faster channel for falsified “news” to reach voters and the broader public during elections, wars, and other high-attention events.
Reality Check
This kind of spoofed “news” operation is a direct attack on our right to make political decisions based on reality, and it sets a precedent where hostile foreign actors can flood the public square while our own defenses are dismantled. The conduct described—organized foreign disinformation using impersonation and AI—can implicate federal prohibitions on foreign national election-related activity and influence operations, including 52 U.S.C. § 30121 and, depending on the specific acts, fraud-related statutes such as 18 U.S.C. § 1343. Even where criminal proof is hard, the institutional breach is unmistakable: scaling back counter-disinformation capacity invites an environment where fabricated media can shape elections and policy by deception. When prominent figures amplify forgeries to millions, the downstream harm is predictable—our shared civic trust erodes, and ordinary voters pay the price.
Media
Detail
<p>NewsGuard reported that a pro-Russian propaganda campaign tracked by Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center as Storm-1679 since at least 2022 has been producing fabricated content that imitates reputable organizations, including news outlets, nonprofits, and government agencies. The operation uses high-profile events to time “waves” of fake material and, since early 2024, has published large volumes of pro-Kremlin videos designed to look like legitimate reporting.</p><p>Microsoft described a 2024 technique combining video with AI-generated audio impersonations of celebrity and expert voices. Examples cited include a fake documentary series using Netflix branding and an AI-generated voice resembling actor Tom Cruise, and later fake videos impersonating journalists, professors, and law enforcement to undermine trust in NATO countries and Ukraine.</p><p>A fabricated E! News-branded video in February falsely claimed USAID paid celebrities to visit Ukraine; it was shared on X by Donald Trump Jr. and Elon Musk before being debunked. Separately, the Trump administration shuttered the State Department’s Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Office, and CISA halted domestic election-related misinformation efforts.</p>