US and allies disrupt Russian propaganda operations in the West

The United States and the Netherlands have thwarted a Russian-backed propaganda campaign using artificial intelligence to spread disinformation in Western countries.

As reported by the US Department of Justice, this concerns a little less than a thousand fake accounts generated by artificial intelligence in the so-called "troll factory" to propagate false news and information.

The operation was carried out by the FBI and the Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF), in cooperation with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS), as well as Dutch intelligence and police.

"As the Russian government continues to wage its brutal war in Ukraine and threatens democracies around the world, the Justice Department will continue to deploy all of our legal authorities to counter Russian aggression and protect the American people," said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland

At the same time, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that NATO is aware of the risk of hybrid attacks by Russia aimed at undermining the Alliance's cohesiveness and is taking precautions to fight it.

A few months ago, European intelligence agencies informed their governments that Russia was planning a pan-European sabotage.

It was also reported recently that US military bases in Europe were put on high alert for the first time in ten years due to intelligence indicating that Russian-backed entities were planning sabotage against these sites and the US military.