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Russia’s influence operation arrives ahead of the US midterms With weeks remaining before America's November midterm elections, a familiar type of content has begun appearing online. Videos resembling reports from CNN, the BBC and The New York Times accuse candidates of corruption, antisemitism and misconduct. Hollywood actors appear to denounce Democrats. Other clips claim that warnings about Russian interference are themselves a Democratic disinformation campaign. The reports are fabricated. Graphika, which tracks online influence operations, says it has identified a coordinated campaign targeting candidates in competitive US Senate races. It assesses with high confidence that the material was produced by Operation Overload, also known as Matryoshka – a long-running Russia-aligned influence operation previously active against elections and political debates in Europe and the United States. The activity coincides with a broader warning from American intelligence officials. Classified assessments reported by The New York Times conclude that the Kremlin has authorised another digital influence campaign ahead of the 2026 midterms, aimed primarily at exploiting existing divisions and undermining confidence in American democracy. There is an important distinction. US officials have not reported evidence that Russia is attempting to manipulate voting machines or alter the counting of votes. The operation is about influencing the information environment surrounding the election. Fake scandals for competitive Senate races Graphika traced a concentrated wave of activity between 10 and 14 September. Likely inauthentic or repurposed accounts distributed videos accusing Democratic politicians of corruption, antisemitism and other misconduct. The targets included Senator Jon Ossoff in Georgia, Representative Chris Pappas in New Hampshire and Texas state representative James Talarico, as well as Senate candidates Sherrod Brown in Ohio, Roy Cooper in North Carolina, Mary Peltola in Alaska, Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Joshua Turek in Iowa and Troy Jackson in Maine. The selection was not random. These were politicians involved in Senate contests where the result could matter to control of the chamber. The campaign did not rely on a single political narrative. Instead, it attached different accusations to different candidates – corruption, social issues, antisemitism or personal misconduct – while maintaining a consistent production and distribution model. That model is characteristic of Matryoshka: create apparently independent pieces of evidence, disguise them as journalism and distribute them through networks of disposable accounts. Hollywood celebrities who never said what the videos claimed One of the campaign's more distinctive techniques involved genuine footage of American actors. Videos featuring celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker and Julia Roberts were altered with captions and other material to suggest they were promoting the slogan #AllDemocratsAreCriminals. The technique continued in subsequent material. Fact-checkers identified fabricated New York Times-branded videos using footage of Alyssa Milano, Sean Astin, Rachael Harris, Leonardo DiCaprio, Eric Braeden, Annie Potts and Patrick Fabian. Some of the original footage came from Cameo, where actors record personalised video messages. Their authentic images were retained while fabricated audio, captions or surrounding material changed the meaning entirely. Lead Stories compared several of the clips with the originals and found that the supposed political statements did not appear in the genuine recordings. Eric Braeden's representative separately confirmed that the claim he had joined the anti-Democratic campaign was false. The advantage of the technique is straightforward. Generative AI does not need to create a convincing celebrity from nothing. The operator can begin with authentic footage of a recognisable person and manipulate only the elements necessary to manufacture a political statement. Stealing the authority of real newsrooms Celebrity impersonation was only one layer. The operation repeatedly borrowed the visual identity of established media organisations. Graphika identified material impersonating or falsely citing the BBC, CNN and Politico, alongside references to France's VIGINUM foreign-interference agency and journalist Brandy Zadrozny. Other material reproduced New York Times-style branding. Some fabricated reports made an unusual claim: that Democrats themselves were organising disinformation or “false-flag operations” and then blaming Russia. This creates a defensive layer around the influence operation. Instead of merely distributing false political allegations, the campaign also attempts to discredit future reporting about the manipulation itself. If successful, evidence exposing foreign interference can be reframed as part of the conspiracy. Graphika says it assesses with high confidence that Operation Overload produced these videos. The technique is well established. Earlier investigations by CheckFirst and Reset Tech documented hundreds of falsified pieces of content produced by Operation Overload, often impersonating journalists, institutions and major media brands. AI-generated or manipulated material has increasingly become part of that production system. What US intelligence says Russia is trying to achieve The broader strategic picture comes from American intelligence assessments reported on 18 September. According to US officials familiar with classified findings, the Kremlin has authorised a covert digital influence campaign aimed at Americans during the 2026 election season. Its apparent objective is to seed or amplify domestic divisions and weaken confidence in the political process. Some officials described the principal aim as creating disorder rather than helping a single political party. The publicly identified Matryoshka material examined so far, however, has targeted Democratic candidates. Those two findings should not be treated as contradictory. An operation can exploit partisan divisions while serving the broader objective of making the electoral system appear corrupt, chaotic or illegitimate. US officials also reportedly assess the current Russian campaign as less extensive or coordinated than some previous election operations. Moscow is considered less focused on congressional elections than presidential contests and remains heavily occupied by its war against Ukraine. Russia has denied previous US accusations of election interference. An operation with limited reach – so far There is another reason for caution: producing large quantities of disinformation is not the same as successfully influencing voters. Matryoshka has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to manufacture content at industrial speed, but much of its material receives little genuine engagement. Researchers monitoring the network have previously warned against confusing automated distribution and platform view counts with authentic audience penetration. There are exceptions. A fabricated New York Times-style video featuring Jamie Lee Curtis had accumulated nearly 200,000 views on X by the end of 17 September, according to reporting by The New York Times. Other pieces attracted considerably less attention. There is currently no public evidence demonstrating that the campaign has changed voting intentions or will affect election results. What the September activity demonstrates is something narrower but important: a Russia-aligned influence infrastructure previously used against European elections has now turned significant attention towards the American midterms. The basic method has changed little – impersonate trusted media, manufacture scandals and use networks of inauthentic accounts to distribute them. What has changed is the production technology. Authentic celebrity footage, synthetic voices, manipulated video and rapidly generated fake journalism allow the same operation to produce more tailored material for more candidates at lower cost. The objective does not require Americans to believe every fabrication. Creating uncertainty over which videos, news reports and public statements are authentic can itself degrade trust in the information environment surrounding an election. Sources - Graphika — Russia-Aligned Influence Operation Targets US Midterm Candidates, German State Elections https://www.graphika.com/insights/russia-aligned-influence-operation-targets-us-midterm-candidates-german-state-elections - The New York Times — Russia Aims to Inject Chaos Into Elections, U.S. Intelligence Finds https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/us/politics/russia-election-disinformation-us-intelligence.html - Kathimerini / The New York Times — Russia Aims to Inject Chaos Into Elections https://www.ekathimerini.com/nytimes/1315792/russia-aims-to-inject-chaos-into-elections-us-intelligence-finds/ - CheckFirst — Operation Overload: An AI-fuelled escalation of the Kremlin-linked propaganda effort https://checkfirst.network/operation-overload-an-ai-fuelled-escalation-of-the-kremlin-linked-propaganda-effort/ - CheckFirst — Operation Overload targeting the US election https://checkfirst.network/operation-overload-a-growing-disinformation-threat-now-targeting-the-u-s-presidential-election/ - Lead Stories — Fake NYT videos: Alyssa Milano, Rachael Harris and Sean Astin https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2026/09/fact-check-fake-new-york-times-videos-of-alyssa-milano-rachael-harris-sean-astin-falsely-claim-they-support-all-democrats-are-criminals.html - Lead Stories — Fake NYT videos: Leonardo DiCaprio, Eric Braeden and other celebrities https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2026/09/fact-check-fake-new-york-times-videos-of-leonardo-dicaprio-eric-braeden-other-celebs-falsely-claim-they-support-all-democrats-are-criminals.html - Brennan Center for Justice — AI Is Changing Foreign Election Influence https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/ai-changing-foreign-election-influence - ODNI — previous US intelligence assessment of foreign election information operations https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/NICM-Declassified-Foreign-Threats-to-US-Elections-After-Voting-Ends-in-2024.pdf - FBI / ODNI / CISA — previous joint assessment of Russian election influence operations https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/joint-odni-fbi-and-cisa-statement-110424 #DISINFORMED #Episode9 #Russia #UnitedStates #USMidterms #Midterms2026 #USElections #ElectionInterference #ForeignInterference #RussianInfluence #RussianDisinformation #OperationOverload #Matryoshka #Disinformation #InformationWarfare #InfluenceOperations #FIMI #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #AIPropaganda #Deepfakes #SyntheticMedia #MediaImpersonation #FakeMedia #FakeNews #PoliticalDisinformation #CelebrityDeepfakes #SocialMediaManipulation #DigitalInfluence #ElectionSecurity #CognitiveWarfare #Graphika #OSINT #Democracy #WRLD

🚨 RAHEEM STERLING 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 PLAIDE COUPABLE POUR CONDUITE DANGEREUSE ET POSSESSION DE PROTOXYDE D’AZOTE ! ⚖️ Il a reconnu avoir été en possession de six cartouches de protoxyde d’azote. L’Anglais a été arrêté après que sa Lamborghini a percuté des barrières sur l’autoroute dans le Hampshire le 28 mai. 🗞️ @TheAthleticFC #RaheemSterling #ConduiteDangereuse #Football

Il Comitato nazionale democratico ha approvato un nuovo calendario delle primarie presidenziali del 2028, posizionando la Carolina del Sud come primo Stato a votare il 22 gennaio, seguita dal Nevada, per dare priorità agli Stati con maggiore diversità razziale e spostare Iowa e New Hampshire. #Primarie2028 #DiversitàRazziale #DNC

Craig David (Southampton, 5 mei 1981) is een Britse zanger en songwriter. David werd geboren in Hampshire als zoon van een Grenadese vader en een Joods-Engelse moeder. Hij kwam voor het eerst in aanraking met de muziekindustrie toen hij in 1997 samenwerkte met de Britse R&B-groep Damage. Daarna zong hij in meerdere nummers van de Britse band The Artful Dodger, waaronder in het nummer Re-rewind (2000). Dit nummer belandde op nummer 2 in de Britse hitlijst en werd ook een grote hit in Nederland. Op 19-jarige leeftijd maakte David zijn solodebuut met Fill me in. Deze single bezorgde hem een nummer 1-hit in het Verenigd Koninkrijk, waarmee hij de jongste mannelijke solo-artiest werd die daarin slaagde. Zijn tweede single, 7 days, bereikte in zijn thuisland eveneens de hoogste positie en was internationaal gezien nog succesvoller dan zijn voorganger. Het bereikte de top 10 in onder meer Nederland, Australië en de Verenigde Staten. https://hvdommelen.nl/d/DavidC.html

Fastest Growing Religion in Every U.S. State 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 Maine — Judaism 🇺🇸 Maryland — Judaism 🇺🇸 Massachusetts — Judaism 🇺🇸 Michigan — Islam 🇺🇸 Minnesota — Judaism 🇺🇲 Mississippi — Islam 🇺🇸 Missouri — Islam 🇺🇸 Montana — Buddhism 🇺🇸 Nebraska — Islam 🇺🇸 Nevada — Hinduism 🇺🇸 New Hampshire — Judaism 🇺🇸 New Jersey — Judaism 🇺🇸 New Mexico — Judaism 🇺🇸 New York — Judaism 🇺🇸 North Carolina — Islam 🇺🇸 North Dakota — Islam

In een Brits archief is een zeldzame druk van de Amerikaanse onafhankelijkheidsverklaring gevonden, die oorspronkelijk in Exeter, New Hampshire, werd gedrukt en nu wordt tentoongesteld ter gelegenheid van de 250ste verjaardag van de Verenigde Staten. #Onafhankelijkheidsverklaring #AmerikaanseGeschiedenis #ZeldzameVondst

Pierwszy w historii stanu New Hampshire trans-kongresmen, biologiczny mężczyzna o nazwisku Stacie Laughton (Partia Demokratyczna), został właśnie skazany na 33 lata więzienia za wykorzystywanie seksualne dzieci. No kto by się spodziewał. Szok i niedowierzanie, milion pytań bez odpowiedzi. #NewHampshire #StacieLaughton #Justice

Jos luulit, että asiat eivät voisi muuttua pahemmiksi Henry Nowakin kauhean murhan suhteen. Nyt on paljastunut, että ennen Digwan oikeudenkäyntiä Hampshiren poliisi aikoi julkaista lausunnon, jossa varoitetaan yleisöä olemaan puhumatta murhasta verkossa ja jossa Henry maalataan hyökkääjäksi! 😳…😡 https://t.co/FmrdWVSrDS #Murha #Oikeus #Poliisi

Obwohl die Polizei Hampshire wusste, dass Nowaks Mörder Vickrum Digwa die Beamten in der Tatnacht belog, wollte sie das Mordopfer in einer offiziellen Erklärung als Aggressor darstellen und vor „Desinformation“ im Internet warnen. Erst der Widerspruch der Familie stoppte die Veröffentlichung. https://t.co/jFSIgDtTAT #Hampshire #Mord #Polizei

Policija u Hampshireu pokušala je tijekom suđenja za ubojstvo Henryja Nowaka objaviti priopćenje o 'dezinformacijama', no tužitelji su ih spriječili zbog mogućeg ugrožavanja integriteta suđenja, s obzirom na zabrinutost o rastućim komentarima na društvenim mrežama i potencijalnim neredima u javnosti. #HenryNowak #dezinformacije #HampshireConstabulary

🇬🇧 Kolejny skandal. Brytyjska policja chciała przedstawić Henry’ego Nowaka jako agresora. Trzy dni po zamordowaniu 18-letniego Henry’ego Nowaka policja z Hampshire planowała wydać oświadczenie, w którym sugerowano, że to Henry zaatakował Vickruma Digwę i jego brata. W pierwotnej wersji komunikatu napisano m. in., że „zgłoszono, iż dwóch mężczyzn zostało zaatakowanych przez nieznanego mężczyznę” – co miało wskazywać na Henry’ego jako sprawcę. Rodzina Nowaka stanowczo się temu sprzeciwiła. Policja chciała później jeszcze raz powtórzyć podobną narrację, ale ostatecznie z niej zrezygnowała po protestach rodziny. Ostateczne oświadczenie mówiło jedynie o „starciu” (altercation) bez wskazywania, kto był stroną atakującą (!). Rodzina Nowaków od początku obawiała się, że policja próbuje budować fałszywą narrację na temat Henry’ego, aby usprawiedliwić swoje własne działania (m. in. zakucie go w kajdanki). Mark Nowak później publicznie mówił, że musiał „walczyć o prawdę” o synu. Policja chciała też wydać oświadczenie w trakcie procesu potępiające „dezinformację” (czytaj: pisanie niewygodnej prawdy), ale prokuratura odradziła to, uznając, że może to zaszkodzić procesowi. #JusticeForHenry #PoliceAccountability #TruthMatters

Briti politsei on teatanud, et 18-aastane Henry Nowak, kes suri 2025. aasta detsembris pussitamise tagajärjel, oli vale rahvuse ja rassismisüüdistuse ohver, samas kui Vickrum Digwa, tema ründaja, on nüüdseks süüdistuses kinni peetud, mis on tekitanud avalikkuses proteste ja nõudmisi õigluse järele. #protest #rassism #Hampshire

Der Fall Henry Nowak ist ein Skandal. Aber er ist leider keine Überraschung. Wenn Polizeibehörden «Diversity, Equity and Inclusion» als wichtigstes Ziel ihrer Arbeit begreifen – so wie nachweislich in Hampshire – und wenn Beamte nichts so sehr fürchten wie den Vorwurf des Rassismus, dann geht die öffentliche Sicherheit vor die Hunde. Mein Kommentar für @welt TV: https://t.co/vKRC5rF7ow #Diversity #Polizei #Sicherheit

Veřejnost ve Velké Británii je šokována zveřejněnými záběry z policejní bodycam, na nichž umírá 18letý student Henry Nowak, který byl po napadení nožem považován za podezřelého, přičemž jeho útočník, Vickrum Digwa, byl následně odsouzen za vraždu, přičemž tato tragédie vyvolává otázky o policejním postupu a rasových napětích v společnosti. #HampshirePolice #HenryNowak #Bodycambeelden

Tässä on yksi koko läntisen maailman järkyttävimpiä yksittäiseen ihmiseen kohdistuneita poliisin väärinkäytöksiä: Henry Nowak, 18-vuotias brittiläispuolalainen opiskelija, murhattiin Vickrum Digwan toimesta brutaalisti puukottamalla. Puukotukset kantaväestöä kohtaan maahanmuuttajia imuroineissa länsimaissa ovat toki valitettavan yleisiä ympäri länsimaita, mutta tässä tapahtumaketjussa meni kaikki pieleen. Tapahtumien kulku: 3. joulukuuta 2025 Southamptonissa n. klo 23.30 Henry Nowak käveli yksin yöelämästä kotiin. Hän oli ollut illanvietossa ystäviensä kanssa ja juonut vähän. Promilleja alle Kaius Niemen. Henry Nowak kohtasi 23-vuotiaan Vickrum Digwan (sikhi), joka kantoi 21 cm pitkää uskonnollista shastar-veistä mukanaan. Digwa puukotti Nowakia viisi kertaa veitsellä. Nowak yritti paeta kiipeämällä roskiksen ja aidan yli. Verivana seurasi perässä. Murhaaja-Digwa soitti vanhemmilleen. Hänen äitinsä saapui paikalle ennen poliisia ja piilotti veitsen kotiin. Naapurit soittivat poliisille Nowakin huutojen perusteella (“I’ve been stabbed, I’m dying”). Kun poliisi saapui paikalle, oli tapahtumien kulku seuraava: - Puukottaja, sikhitaustainen, Digwa valehtelee poliisille: väittää Nowakin aloittaneen tappelun, lyöneen häntä ja tehneen rasistisia kommentteja - Nowak makaa maassa ja sanoo toistuvasti “I’ve been stabbed” ja “I can’t breathe”. (Video alla) - Poliisi vastaa ylimielisesti mm. “Don’t think you have, mate” ja laittaa kuolevasti verta vuotavaan Henryyn raudat päälle. Eivät tutki puukotuskertomusta lainkaan. (Video alla) - Puukottajaa kohdeltiin hyvin eikä pidätetty paikalla Nuori Henry Nowak kuoli verta vuotavana käsiraudoitettuna vammoihinsa samalle paikalle 4.12.2025 n. klo 00.37. Ensiapua yritettiin vasta käsirautojen poistamisen jälkeen. Eli poliisi uskoi tummapigmenttisen ihmisen puhetta rasismista ja samalla piti tätä ”tekoa” vakavampana kuin mitä tosiasiallisesti tapahtui: valkoinen nuori mies kertoi, ettei saa henkeä ja että häntä on puukotettu. Poliisi ei uskonut. Kuunnelkaa tuosta ao. videolta poliisin äänensävy. Epäilijoille: Mitä oikeudessa sitten tapahtui? - Digwa pidätettiin murhasta ja äitinsä avunannosta murhaan - Digwa sai elinkautisen vankeuden (minimi 21 vuotta). Tuomari hylkäsi täysin Digwan tarinan itsepuolustuksesta ja rasismista - Nowak ei todisteiden valossa sanonut mitään rasistista Mitä pidättäneille poliiseille nykyään kuuluu – onko tapahtunut viralta poistamisia tai muita rangaistuksia/vastaavaa? Ei. - Hampshire Police on pyytänyt julkisesti anteeksi Henry Nowakin perheeltä ja myöntänyt poliisin toiminnan olleen epäonnistunutta - Yksikään poliisi/virkamies ei ole julkisesti jäänyt pois virasta, saanut potkuja tai kurinpitoa tähän mennessä Virkamiehen vastuunkanto siis aikalailla samaa tasoa kuin Suomessa: ei ole. Ero Suomeen lienee ainakin tämä: - maahanmuuttajakulttuurien määrä on toistaiseksi hallinnassa - Suomessa poliisiin toimintaan voi luottaa; ja voi toivottavasti jatkossakin Kirjoitus perustuu yksittäiseen tuomittuun rikokseen ja julkisiin lähteisiin, enkä yleistä mitään väitettä koskemaan kaikkia. Rauha Henry Nowakin muistolle #justiceforhenry #policebrutality #immigrationissues

In Inghilterra il 23enne sikh Vickrum Digwa è stato condannato all’ergastolo, con un minimo di 21 anni di reclusione, per aver ucciso con cinque coltellate Henry Nowak, studente universitario britannico-polacco di 18 anni, il 3 dicembre 2025 a Southampton. All’arrivo della polizia, Digwa ha sostenuto di aver agito per legittima difesa, affermando falsamente di essere stato aggredito, insultato con epiteti razzisti e che la vittima gli avesse fatto cadere il turbante. Gli agenti hanno quindi ammanettato Nowak prima di accorgersi che aveva ferite mortali. La polizia dell’Hampshire si è successivamente scusata per il proprio operato. Sul caso è intervenuto Nigel Farage, che ha definito l’accaduto “una vergogna”, parlando di “razzismo al contrario” #giustizia #razzismo #Inghilterra