Russian bots, linked to a Kremlin disinformation network, have unleashed a torrent of fake anti-Ukraine quotes attributed to celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Scarlett Johansson.
On June 15, independent Russian media outlet Agentsvo reported that 120,000 fake quotes were published in just one day. This is reported by Kyiv Independent.
A Surge of Misinformation
In just one day, Russian bots flooded social media with 120,000 fake anti-Ukraine quotes falsely attributed to celebrities.
This massive disinformation campaign, run by the Kremlin-linked network Dvoynyk, was reported by the independent Russian media outlet Agentsvo on June 15.
Celebrities Targeted in Disinformation Blitz
“We are impoverished, it's time to forget about Ukraine,” read a quote falsely attributed to Jennifer Aniston. Another fake quote from Scarlett Johansson claimed, “The EU is falling apart.”
These quotes were part of a wider campaign that saw images of celebrities plastered with fake messages urging an end to aid for Ukraine and predicting the collapse of Europe. The campaign's sheer volume was staggering, with over 500,000 views in just two days.
The disinformation blitz began with Dvoynyk publishing 50 fake quotes on the social media platform X. These posts were then retweeted over 120,000 times, a standard tactic for such campaigns.
“We’ve recorded six similar operations over the past six months,” a Bot Blocker project representative told Agentsvo.
The bots didn’t limit themselves to English; they spread their messages in French, German, and Polish too. Fake quotes were attributed to a wide range of celebrities, including Ashton Kutcher, Angelina Jolie, Alain Delon, Luc Besson, Elton John, and Lionel Messi.
