Investigative news outlet The Insider has uncovered the inner workings of Doppelgänger, a Kremlin-backed disinformation network targeting audiences across Europe and the United States. Published on October 21, 2026, the investigation reveals how Russian operatives use fake news websites, social media bots, deepfakes and artificial intelligence to manipulate public opinion and influence political debates.
Based on hacked correspondence and internal documents, the investigation exposes how hundreds of operatives, including Russian government officials, political strategists and professional propagandists, coordinate disinformation campaigns.
Established in 2022 under the supervision of the Russian Presidential Administration, the network impersonates legitimate Western news outlets, fabricates stories about Ukraine and exploits sensitive political issues to amplify divisions in Western societies. The documents also reveal how AI is used to generate targeted messages and how fabricated stories have reached prominent American politicians.
The investigation offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the organisation, technologies and strategies driving state-sponsored information manipulation. It demonstrates how coordinated disinformation operations combine traditional propaganda techniques with AI-generated content and automated distribution, raising urgent questions about information integrity, media verification and the resilience of democratic societies.
