Researchers have tracked more activity by an influence campaign linked to Russia that spreads disinformation and propaganda in the U.S., Germany and Ukraine through a vast network of social media accounts and fake websites.

The campaign, attributed to the Russia-linked influence operation network called Doppelgänger, has been active since at least May 2022. The U.S. tech company Meta previously referred to Doppelgänger as the “largest” and “most aggressively persistent” malign network sponsored by Russia.

Researchers from Recorded Future’s Insikt Group are currently tracking over 2,000 inauthentic social media accounts associated with Dopplegänger, but say the actual number could be even higher. The Record is an editorially independent unit of Recorded Future.

According to Insikt, the impact of Doppelgänger’s activity on users in Germany, Ukraine, and the U.S. is limited.

“Despite the campaign’s high volume, we did not identify any significant engagement from authentic social media users,” researchers said in a report published Tuesday. “Viewership and other engagement metrics — reshares, likes, and replies — were negligible across the network.”

And yet, Doppelgänger’s activity is worth paying attention to, researchers said, as its operators are constantly improving their tools and tactics and are “willing to invest in extra measures to evade detection.”

Meta warned last week that foreign groups are looking to expand their influence operations as 2024 is an important year for elections around the world.

Insikt did not specify which social media networks the Doppelgänger operation used.

Fake tales of decline

In the campaign analyzed by Insikt, Doppelgänger focused on three targets — Ukraine, Germany and the U.S.

In an operation against Ukraine, a Russia-linked threat actor created over 800 social media accounts that shared links to fake articles impersonating multiple reputable Ukrainian news organizations. These articles “spread narratives undermining Ukraine’s military strength, political stability, and international relationships with Ukraine’s Western allies.”

For example, some of them suggested that the U.S. prioritizes the war in Israel more than the one in Ukraine or sowed doubts about Ukraine’s ability to win the war.

In a campaign that targeted Germany and the U.S., a Russian network operator created fake news outlets producing propaganda content, which was then shared on social media, the researchers said.

Unlike impersonating existing Western news sources, as commonly seen with Doppelgänger so far, these outlets appear to be an attempt to create seemingly new and original sources, researchers said. “This evolving approach likely aims to establish a long-term influence network by evading detection efforts to identify inauthentic impersonators.”

The campaign’s goal in Germany was to share fake narratives of “Germany’s domestic decline due to migration, economic policies, and continued support for Ukraine,” Insikt said.

In the U.S., the threat actor promoted hostile articles criticizing the LGBTQ+ movement (which was recently outlawed in Russia) and raised doubts about U.S. military competence. One of the fake websites linked to Doppelgänger produced election-related content, which was likely generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

“This campaign likely intends to exploit US societal and political divisions ahead of the 2024 US election,” researchers said.

Kremlin-approved tactics

Influence operations like Doppelgänger are common tactics used by Russia as part of its information warfare.

Doppelgänger was previously linked to two Russian companies: Structura National Technologies and Social Design Agency, whose clients include several Russian government agencies, local government entities, state-owned enterprises and private companies.

Both companies were sanctioned by the European Union in August for their involvement in Doppelgänger.

In November, the U.S. government also linked these two entities to a disinformation campaign across Latin America aimed at undermining support for Ukraine and discrediting the U.S. and NATO.

In its previous campaigns, Doppelgänger also targeted the U.S. and seven European countries, with a specific focus on Germany and France. The network’s most common tactic is the impersonation of media outlets or political organizations, such as the French Ministry of Public Affairs, the German Ministry of the Interior, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The network’s evolution indicates that it can “have long-term societal impacts,” while the likely use of generative AI to create written content demonstrates “the evolving use of AI in Russian information warfare campaigns.”

“As the popularity of generative AI grows, malign influence actors, including Doppelgänger, will very likely increasingly leverage AI to produce scalable influence content,” researchers said.

Source: The Record

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The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has expressed serious apprehension over reports suggesting that the government of Uzbekistan is regressing from the positive strides Muslim-majority Central Asian nation.

An independent and bipartisan nine-member federal body that monitors and reports on freedom of religion or belief overseas and makes policy recommendations to the U.S. president, secretary of state and Congress, the USCIRF said in a September 22 statement that in the previous week there have been reports of Uzbek authorities carrying out raids targeting individuals based on religious affiliation.

Allegedly, these individuals have been fined and some are subjected to administrative detention. Additionally, the report noted, it has been reported that authorities have compelled Muslim men to shave their beards, while school administrators have exerted pressure on schoolgirls to either remove their hijabs or adjust the way they wear them.

Initially, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev achieved significant progress in his presidency in promoting freedom of religion or belief by reversing many of the problematic policies of the previous administration, stated USCIRF Commissioner and former chair Nury Turkel.

“As Uzbekistan continues to reverse course on its reforms and further crack down on religious freedom,” Turkel said.

In its 2023 annual report, the USCIRF advised the State Department to include Uzbekistan on its Special Watch List due to the country’s widespread violations of religious freedom. In June, the monitor organized a conversation featuring the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief and a representative from Human Rights Watch to assess the state of religious freedom in the country.

Religious practice in Uzbekistan is greatly restricted and is influenced by official policies through legislation and unofficial methods enforced by security services and law enforcement agencies, the USCIRF statement said.

In early September, the Legislative Chamber of Uzbekistan’s parliament, known as the Oliy Majlis, advanced amendments to the nation’s criminal and administrative codes, the statement noted, explaining that the amendments were apparently aimed at safeguarding the state’s secular character but were expected to have potential implications for the religious freedom of individuals.

The statement pointed out that so far this year, Muslims have experienced arrests and incarceration due to their religious practices and in some cases, Muslim citizens chose to practice self-censorship out of concerns for their safety.

The USCIRF is especially troubled by reports indicating that a senior Uzbek government official has stated that civil servants must make a choice between their personal beliefs and their professional careers, said Commissioner David Curry.

“Everyone in Uzbekistan should be able to live and practice their religion in accordance with their conscience. The U.S. government must not overlook Uzbekistan’s declining religious freedom situation and should urge its counterparts there to protect this crucial right in line with Uzbekistan’s international commitments.”

Source: World Religion News

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The United States may soon impose secondary sanctions on Kyrgyzstan for helping Russia procure sensitive technologies for its war effort in Ukraine, The Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing two anonymous U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The small Central Asian republic saw a “striking” expansion of import-export companies profiting from sales of Chinese and European drones, aircraft parts and bomb circuits to Russia in recent months, said a senior official with detailed knowledge about the transactions.

The Biden administration could impose new economic measures to pressure Kyrgyzstan to halt the sanctions-busting trade of banned goods with Russia as early as this week, according to the WP.

The decision was reportedly reached after “months of fruitless visits” by U.S. and European diplomats to the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek.

Previous U.S. measures included blacklisting Kyrgyzstan-based companies accused of sanctions evasion.

A 250% surge in exports to Russia in 2022 — with items like rifle scopes not previously known as a bilateral trade item — reflects the scale of the Kyrgyz “shadow bazaar,” WP wrote. 

Most of the Russian recipient companies of Kyrgyz-supplied goods also supply Russia’s defense industry, the unnamed U.S. official said.

They alleged that Russia’s intelligence services are involved alongside war profiteers in closely coordinating the Kyrgyz companies’ procurement of sensitive electronics and exports to Russia.

The Kyrgyz Embassy in Washington acknowledged previous reports of sanctions violations but maintained Bishkek’s commitment to adhering to international regulations and cracking down on contraband and other illicit trade.

“Kyrgyzstan and Russia are members of the [Moscow-led] Eurasian Economic Union and, in general, Russia is one of our main trading partners,” it said. “More than a million of our citizens work in Russia.”

Total exports to Russia from Moscow’s regional allies Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan rose by almost 50% to $15 billion last year, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of UN trade data. 

The same countries nearly doubled their imports of U.S. and EU goods from $14.6 billion in 2021 to $24.3 billion last year, WSJ said in May.

“Kyrgyzstan, while small relative to other countries, is a clear example of every factor at play at once to create an unacceptably [sanctions] evasion-friendly environment,” WP quoted one of the U.S. officials as saying.

Source: The Moscow Times

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As the Republic of Kazakhstan’s ambassador to the United States, Yerzhan Ashikbayev is adept at answering questions about his country, a skill that served him well during his recent visit to Florida State University. 

After Ashikbayev’s April 5 lecture at The Globe Auditorium, students had plenty of questions about his home, a country more than 6,000 miles away:  

“Does Kazakhstan have any position in support or opposition of Iran having nuclear weapons?” 

“Why did Kazakhstan switch from a Cyrillic-based alphabet to a Latin-based alphabet?” 

“How do you see the relationship with Russia developing during the Ukraine war and is Kazakhstan distancing itself from Russia in the future?” 

Ashikbayev visited FSU’s campus as part of a five-day tour throughout the state of Florida. This event was open to all FSU students, faculty and staff members and was heavily attended by students from IDS 2531: Global Perspectives and INS 3003: Introduction to International Affairs courses.  

Four international students from Kazakhstan are currently enrolled at FSU, and another two international students from Kazakhstan are currently enrolled at the Center for Intensive English Studies. All six students attended the lecture, which focused on the history and geopolitics of Kazakhstan and its relationship with the U.S.  

The lecture was followed by a question-and-answer session with students.  

“It is important for students to take advantage of such learning opportunities,” said Tanu Kohli Bagwe, director of the Center for Gobal Engagement’s Global Citizenship Certificate Program and instructor of IDS 2531. “They can learn more about international trade and commerce, and why international diplomacy is good business.” 

Ashikbayev was appointed as the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United States in 2021. In this role, he serves as the lead communicator on the Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue with the United States, which is an annual platform for the nations to discuss bilateral and regional issues and advance shared priorities. 

He previously served as Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, serving as the diplomatic point person for matters involving the United Nations and the Americas. 

Kazakhstan is an eligible country for the Eastern Europe Linkage Institute (EELI), which is one of 11 International Linkage Institutes established by the Florida Legislature to develop stronger economic, cultural, educational and social ties between Florida and countries considered strategically important to the state.  

Kazakhstan Fast Facts: 

• Part of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991 and the last Soviet republic to declare independence 
• Largest landlocked country in the world (ninth largest overall) 
• Home to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the world’s first spaceport for orbital and human launches and the largest (in area) operational space launch facility 
• Longest continuous land border in the world is between Russia and Kazakhstan (7,512 kilometers). Kazakhstan also shares borders with China, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan
• It has the second-largest uranium reserves in the world 
• Relinquished its nuclear weapons when it signed the Tashkent Treaty in 2006, establishing a nuclear-weapon-free-zone in Central Asia 

Source : FSU

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