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Russian Troll Farm Revives Operations with AI-Powered Fake News Websites

Russian troll farm CopyCop has revived its operations with a vengeance, using AI-powered fake news websites to influence elections and sow discord in countries around the world. As the US struggles to counter this threat, it is clear that action must be taken to protect democratic institutions and processes.

As the world grapples with the growing threat of disinformation and propaganda, a familiar player has emerged from the shadows. The Russian troll farm led by John Mark Dougan, a former deputy sheriff from Florida who gained political asylum in Moscow in 2016, has reportedly revived its operations with a vengeance.

The revival comes in the form of an AI-powered fake news network known as CopyCop, which has been creating and disseminating fake news articles across multiple platforms. According to a recent report by Recorded Future's Insikt Group, CopyCop has already generated at least 200 new websites that are designed to impersonate fictional local media outlets in the US, France, Canada, and Norway, as well as political parties and movements.

These websites, which have been registered under various domain names, are almost all based on uncensored LLMs (Large Language Models) based on Meta's Llama 3 open-source models. The report notes that CopyCop is using these AI-powered tools to generate at least some of its fictional news stories, with a focus on influencing elections in countries such as Moldova and Germany.

The Insikt Group's research has also uncovered evidence of the Kremlin-backed network attempting to establish a foothold in Canada, with at least two new websites: albertaseparatist[.]com and torontojournal[.]ca. These fake news outlets are using growing pro-independence sentiment in the province of Alberta to further polarize people based on their political beliefs.

Furthermore, the report highlights that the Russian troll farm is also attempting to create deepfakes and other false content targeting political leaders in the US, Ukraine, France, and other countries. The GRU reportedly funds the LLM servers used by CopyCop to rewrite articles from legitimate news sites and create this false content.

This revival of operations comes at a time when the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has seen its efforts to counter online disinformation being gutted, prompting concerns among election officials who fear less federal support for the mid-term elections in 2026. The Russian troll farm's actions have also been linked to a similar network that was previously documented by the Insikt Group, which targeted Germany's federal elections in February.

As the world grapples with the growing threat of disinformation and propaganda, it is clear that CopyCop's revival is a stark reminder of the ongoing challenge. With its AI-powered fake news network and focus on influencing elections, this troll farm represents a significant threat to democratic institutions and processes.

In light of these findings, it is imperative that policymakers and law enforcement agencies take immediate action to counter this threat. This includes strengthening efforts to counter online disinformation, increasing support for election officials, and holding those responsible accountable for their actions.

The world cannot afford to be complacent in the face of this growing threat. It is time to take action and ensure that we are prepared to counter the spread of disinformation and propaganda.