Kenneth Glad
Internal material reviewed by a German outlet points to a broader influence effort. The reported activity includes false-front operations and attempts to feed propaganda into digital information systems.
Russia’s Social Design Agency has expanded its operations in Germany, according to T-Online.
The agency works for the presidential administration of Vladimir Putin, the outlet writes. Its activities are no longer limited to thousands of centrally controlled social media accounts used to influence public opinion.
The documents describe a wider set of tools, including false-flag actions and a Wikipedia-style platform for Germany.
According to the German news portal, that project is meant to place Russian disinformation into artificial intelligence systems.
The material includes chat records, project plans, reports and memos. The outlet also said Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, has the dataset.
The files offer a rare internal view
The Social Design Agency first drew attention in the West through the so-called Doppelganger campaign, according to T-Online, which previously exposed it.
The operation involved copying international media websites, approaching politically prominent interview partners in Germany and spreading Kremlin messaging through social networks.
The agency has been under European Union sanctions since mid-2023 over that campaign.
The German newssite also reported that earlier internal data released in 2024 showed close links between the agency and the Kremlin, along with efforts to inflame social tensions and strengthen the AfD and BSW.
Experts see signs of authenticity
Thomas Rid, a professor of strategic studies at Johns Hopkins University, told T-Online that the latest dataset is smaller but more revealing than earlier disclosures.
Rid said the earlier leak contained thousands of files, including fake news items, social media posts and tracking tables.
The newer material differs because it appears to show internal SDA communication through screenshots.
He said: “Based on the circumstances, the content and the chronology, I assume that the leak is genuine. It is very plausible, and the information in it complements other findings.”
Rid added that this does not rule out the possibility that individual items may have been manipulated.
AI platforms are a new target
The leak shows that the agency has found new areas of activity on behalf of the Russian state.
One reported project involves building a German-focused Wikipedia clone. The platform would present Russian propaganda in the appearance of serious reference material.
The goal would not only be to reach readers directly. The material could also be used to influence AI platforms that rely on publicly available text.
If such a method worked, propaganda could later surface in answers generated by digital tools without an obvious link to its origin.
Germany remains a central focus
The documents also point to actions involving disposable agents in Germany, reports T-Online.
Taken together, the material describes a campaign built across several channels: Social media, copied news websites, false-front activity, reference-style content and AI systems.
According to T-Online, the reported strategy suggests Russian-linked influence operations are adapting.
Rather than only pushing messages into public debate, they appear to be targeting the information channels that shape what people later read, search and ask.
Sources: T-Online
