Hundreds of politicians, academics appear in Russian disinformation network's outlets

· Investigations · Germany · Russia

Hundreds of public figures — including former American, French and Spanish intelligence officers, nearly a dozen far-right German politicians and academics from around the world — have been interviewed and featured on websites linked to the "Doppelgänger" disinformation campaign, OCCRP reports. The finding shows how widely the network appears to have recruited legitimate voices, giving its content the look of ordinary commentary rather than propaganda. The named individuals are presented as unwitting or featured participants rather than as organizers; the items do not say whether any knew they were appearing on campaign-linked sites. Doppelgänger is a well-documented Russian influence operation that has cloned news and government websites to spread false content. The disclosure matters because it maps the human side of an influence campaign, showing how genuine experts and officials can be used to lend credibility. Its immediate effect is to raise questions for those named about vetting the outlets they speak to, and for platforms and researchers tracking the network's reach.

Why it matters：It shows how influence operations recruit credible public figures, a pattern that affects media vetting, platform integrity work and how researchers trace disinformation networks worldwide.

Key points

  • Those featured include former American, French and Spanish intelligence officers.
  • Nearly a dozen far-right German politicians and academics worldwide also appeared.
  • The sites are associated with the "Doppelgänger" campaign.

Sources (original reporting)

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