Bluesky, a social media platform, reported that Russian entities hacked into real users’ accounts to disseminate fake articles. This represents an innovative approach to spreading misinformation.

Ben Gilbert, an economist and professor at the Colorado School of Mines, experienced this firsthand. Known on Bluesky for sharing insights on natural resources, Gilbert unexpectedly found a falsified news report on his account. The video criticized France’s support for Ukraine, attributing it to police shortages in France. Gilbert had no knowledge of the video being posted.

According to Bluesky and researchers from Clemson University, hundreds of accounts were compromised. These accounts belonged to influential individuals such as journalists and professors, as well as a pollster, an anime artist, and a Hollywood filmmaker. One account posted a video altered by AI to mimic a Canadian police official condemning France’s President Emmanuel Macron.

The Clemson team linked these activities to the Social Design Agency, a Moscow-based company. This campaign highlights Russia’s ongoing attempts to undermine public support for Ukraine, invaded by Russian forces in 2022.