Fact-checking: Twitter Users Supporting the Kremlin Spread Fake Information

The Poligraf website, a fact-checking project of Voice of America, shows in a study that Twitter users supporting the Kremlin accuse Ukraine of misusing Western aid by spreading fake information. Pro-Russian Twitter users exploit Ukrainian party videos and old photos from social media posts of government officials to claim that the war in Ukraine is fabricated and that billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, funded by American taxpayers, have been stolen. 'MyLordBibo' is an anonymous but verified user on X (formerly Twitter) who describes himself as 'aware of the facts, anti-hypocrisy, anti-fake news.' This account appeared relatively recently (in 2019) but has about 150,000 followers and nearly twenty-six thousand posts, which typically garner millions of views. Posts from this account include videos that dehumanize the LGBTQ+ community, while others praise Russian allies like Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, and Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria. This user's account primarily focuses on two topics. First, promoting Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. For example, in a post on August 28 containing a video from 2014 of Putin reprimanding Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, it stated: 'This is why the people of Russia love Putin. He explains how he has brought the oligarchs under control.' Although this post was highly misleading, it received about two million five hundred thousand views and around forty thousand retweets and likes. This account regularly reposts pro-Putin propaganda. Second, spreading misinformation and fake news about Ukraine, the United States, and its allies. This account often uses AI-generated fake videos to discredit Ukraine and its president. One of these fakes in July showed Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, performing on stage to get more money from the West, which had nearly three million viewers. The style of these fakes closely resembles Kremlin PR propaganda. The reason we cite this anonymous Twitter account is that it reflects a recent trend of newly verified Twitter accounts claiming that the U.S. government is spending billions of dollars from American taxpayers, which could be used to improve the struggling U.S. economy, to support the 'fabricated' war in Ukraine. Another tweet from this account, showing nightlife in places outside the war front, like Odessa, claims that Ukrainians do not need help from the U.S. or the European Union. The issue begins with a highly misleading claim that since people in certain cities are engaged in unnecessary activities, all Ukrainian refugees currently living in Europe should return to their country. According to a report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, six million Ukrainians have become refugees worldwide. Poland has accepted nearly 60 percent of the refugees. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees also notes that five million Ukrainians are internally displaced. This user account overlooks this vital information. This article is based on a report from Poligraf, the fact-checking project of Voice of America.