A Russian influence campaign linked to the Moscow-based Social Design Agency hijacked hundreds of Bluesky accounts — many belonging to journalists, academics, and filmmakers — to spread anti-Ukraine narratives.

AFP spoke to Joseph Bodnar, ISD Senior Research Manager, about the operation, which researchers have linked to the Kremlin influence network known as Matryoshka. Joe noted that the campaign has a history of impersonation — stealing media logos, cloning voices using AI and spreading disinformation under false identities.

“Hacking into accounts to post content using someone else’s identity is a logical next step for an operation that appears to have a lot of resources and no ethical constraints,” he said.

Joseph also cautioned against overstating the campaign’s reach: “Sophistication isn’t impact. Matryoshka’s impact is driven more by public perception than by its ability to persuade audiences online. It’s a perception hack.”

The full article is available on AFP.