Russia is doctoring videos of Hollywood stars criticizing Democrats as the Kremlin tries to keep Republicans in power.

Russia has launched a special operation to spread disinformation ahead of the midterm congressional elections. Deepfake videos have appeared on social media, allegedly featuring famous actors attacking the Democratic Party. Researchers say this is just the beginning, and more such materials will be released as November approaches. France24.

The videos began spreading rapidly late last week under hashtags like #AllDemocratsAreCriminals. They feature Hollywood actors allegedly recording statements criticizing Democrats, and the videos themselves are styled with the CNN logo.

In one video, a voice generated by a neural network and imitating actress Alyson Hannigan from the series "How I Met Your Mother" says, "There's not a single child in America today who isn't threatened by Democrats." In another, actress Emma Caulfield allegedly claims that Democrats are "drinking our blood." In a third, Sarah Jessica Parker appears to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Democrats "Nazis."

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These videos were created using video fragments taken from open sources online. In one case, a fake audio track was added to a video for Gucci's 2023 advertising campaign featuring Julia Roberts. Other deepfakes were edited from footage from the Cameo platform, where celebrities record personalized video messages for a fee.

"I feel insulted," Emma Caulfield, known for her role on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," told AFP. "This isn't me. Worse, this cheap knockoff looks like a soulless dummy."

"I had no idea this was happening," remarked actor Ed Begley Jr., known for his work on "Better Call Saul." His Cameo video was also altered to appear to refer to Democrats as "perverts." "I want to go on record as saying I categorically disagree with everything said in that video."

Actor Eric Roberts, whose Cameo video was distorted to appear to criticise Democrats for their policies towards transgender people, told AFP: "These are not my words and they do not reflect my views."

"I am seriously concerned that my image has been altered and used to mislead people," he added.

A CNN representative also objected to the unauthorized use of the channel's brand. He stated that these videos are not affiliated with CNN and do not constitute its content.

First Salvo

Disinformation researchers believe these deepfakes are linked to the "Matryoshka" campaign, known as Operation Overload, a Kremlin-linked project that disseminates fake videos on social media, disguising them as media reports, and then amplifies their reach through botnets.

"I see this as the opening salvo in a Russian campaign aimed at the upcoming elections," concluded Darren Linville of Clemson University, an expert on Russian influence operations.

"Since 2016, Moscow has interfered in every US election through social media campaigns," he noted. "I expected this to happen again."

The online community Antibot4navalny was the first to link these deepfakes to "Matryoshka," pointing out a characteristic distribution pattern.

Pablo Maristani de las Casas, an analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue who tracks Russian influence campaigns in Europe, said the fake audio tracks and use of the CNN logo are consistent with the operation's typically unsophisticated methods.

"Using Cameo videos is not a new practice," he said. "Such techniques have already been used in regional and local elections in Germany, as well as in elections in Hungary and Armenia."

French prosecutors said last month they were investigating the alleged use of Russian deepfakes and doctored videos against two centrist candidates in the upcoming presidential election.

While such campaigns often have limited impact, and platforms like X, Bluesky, and TikTok have already removed some of these posts, experts believe these videos demonstrate Russia's clear intention to alter the balance of power in the US Congress.

This activity appears to be increasing.

Antibot4navalny has discovered new fake videos stylized as CNN footage. They target Democratic candidates, including Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff and Texas Senate candidate James Talarico.

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Additionally, a group of researchers told AFP that new fake videos emerged on September 14, aimed at discrediting MS NOW's exposés of celebrity deepfakes.

These publications used journalist Brandy Zadrozny as a target of disinformation, claiming that she had retracted her reporting on the unfolding campaign, which is not true.

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