Experts, commissioned by the German Foreign Ministry, used specialized software to verify messages published on the Internet platform X (formerly Twitter) between December 20 and January 20, Der Spiegel wrote.
They reportedly found more than 50,000 fake user accounts, which together posted more than a million German-language messages on X. “A barrage of lies,” describes Der Spiegel, which based its conclusions on excerpts from the investigation. One recurring theme in the reports was the accusation that the government of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz neglected his country's people to help Ukraine. In the war against Russia, according to Der Spiegel.
According to the weekly magazine, the accounts also often point out fake news on websites that are designed to resemble those of real media outlets.
Experts believe their discovery is part of the “Doppelgänger” disinformation campaign, which is blamed on Russia as part of its hybrid war against the West and is known to the authorities. This “Doppelgänger” operation, which came to light in 2022, involves hijacking the visual identity of media outlets to spread false information.
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