Author: Atilla Biro
With the help of software developed specifically by Context.ro, we discovered dozens of accounts that publish almost exclusively AI-generated videos. Read on to find out how the Kremlin’s Matryoshka network, which has been ordered to produce disinformation using AI, works.
Illustration: Diana Dupu
TikTok in Moldova is flooded with videos aimed at convincing users that the Orthodox religion is under attack by the European Union, that elections will be canceled, and that, in general, the state is against its citizens. We discovered over 100 TikTok accounts that have published 2,000 clips pushing Russian propaganda into algorithms. A new development is that dozens of accounts publish almost exclusively content produced with the help of Artificial Intelligence. An analysis shows that the Russian Federation has a network, called Matryoshka, which deals specifically with the production of AI video content.
“Fifteen years for a vote sold. That’s what Maia Sandu promises to those who sell their democratic rights. But when European countries stick their noses into our elections, is it normal that we just want to join? No. When ambassadors pull political strings, it’s a partnership. But when the people raise questions, it’s disinformation,” says a synthetic voice spreading one of Russia’s favorite disinformation narratives, which claims that EU countries are manipulating the elections in the Republic of Moldova. The account, like dozens of others we have identified, only publishes AI-generated videos.
In another AI-generated video, we are told that “Germany has returned to Moldova” and that they will deploy military troops.
In another clip from an account that posts AI clips, Stephen the Great kills a bird with a sword, which has Maia Sandu’s face instead of a head and repeats: “LGBT, Europe.” And at the end, the message “Stephen fought for something else” appears. Stephen the Great is often used in disinformation clips, as is the narrative that the European Union is infesting Moldova with LGBT people.
We have identified a Russian propaganda and disinformation bubble with 128 accounts, which have been activated now, during the campaign, and which publish almost exclusively AI-generated clips on TikTok.
Context.ro has developed software with which we analyze manipulation operations on TikTok and with which we have managed to analyze over half a million videos to date. For the elections in the Republic of Moldova, we have developed a system similar to Spotify’s discovery feature. If you see a clip or series of clips that try to convince you that the European Union is destroying Moldova’s economy and bringing poverty, you enter it into the system, add a few parameters, and the software searches for other posts and accounts that push the same toxic content.
Hundreds of videos spreading fear
Soft capture FACTory
In our case, we started with a report by the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) at the Atlantic Council, which identified 215 Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram accounts. DFRLab explained that this network acted in a coordinated manner and that, between December and April, it spread disinformation targeting Moldova. We collected the hashtags from their report and entered them into the system. DFRLab found that, from December to April, the network published over 8,000 posts on all platforms.
The Context software discovered that the 128 TikTok accounts alone had published over 6,000 clips in the last two months. Of these, 33%, or 2,000 clips, contain disinformation or inflammatory content (for example, that the elections will be canceled, even though there is no evidence of a possible cancellation).
The Matryoshka Network. The Tamara Prepeliță 3 – Ana Nicolaeva Duo
We discovered that the network of 128 accounts uses tactics to manipulate algorithms. For example, the account “tamara.perepelita3” posted 140 comments in recent weeks. Most of them, 37, were posted on the videos of the account “Ana Nicolaeva”, which has 100% AI-generated videos. Another 32 were posted on the account “user6234026382695,” which also published AI videos. The pattern repeats itself, and “Tamara Prepeliță 3” has the characteristics of a bot.
According to the independent Russian publication The Insider, a bot network called Matryoshka, coordinated by the Kremlin authorities, is responsible for generating AI content dedicated to the Moldovan elections.
The Insider notes that an analysis by Bot Blocker, a group of digital activists specializing in bot hunting, found that “this is the fourth time in two years that the disinformation network has published the same video simultaneously on multiple bot accounts. The scheme usually follows one of two patterns: either one bot posts the fake clip, while another places links to it in the comments of posts by major media outlets, or a single account uploads the video, while dozens of others repost it in an effort to simulate viral spread. The use of a full-screen video is also noteworthy, as Matryoshka usually relies on vertical clips optimized for mobile viewing.
It is unclear whether the 128 TikTok accounts are part of the Matryoshka network.
Russian operation “religious oppression,” uploaded into the algorithm
In the last two months, the network has generated over 50,000 comments. One of the accounts that is a favorite among commentators on the network is “Moldova Ortodoxă” (Orthodox Moldova), a newly created account that has posted dozens of videos related to the church and the Orthodox faith in a short period of time. These are not AI-generated clips, but they spread Russian disinformation, namely that Orthodoxy in Moldova is in danger and that the danger comes from the EU.
“I think this is a continuation of the trend of restricting the clergy of the Orthodox Church of Moldova by our authorities. The authorities are tormenting them. It seems to me that the ministries responsible for such actions are overestimating their capabilities and overstepping all legal barriers. The point is that we are restricted in our movements, we are restricted in our expression, even in our thoughts,” says a priest in a clip posted on the account, which garnered 40,000 likes in just one month.
Context.ro has shown that Russia is conducting an operation to manipulate public opinion in the run-up to the parliamentary elections, using the Orthodox faith as its subject. Russian agents of influence, disguised as NGOs or MEPs, accuse Moldova of religious discrimination. In Moldova, President Maia Sandu is accused of banning religious processions, but not marches by sexual minorities, and at the UN and EU, Russian-backed NGOs accuse her of religious persecution. The accusations are sometimes made by Russian diplomats themselves, such as Ambassador Oleg Ozerov, who speaks of the “persecution of priests” for which the pro-Western government and the Romanian Church are allegedly responsible. See details here.
