Microsoft: Russia Targets Paris Olympics with Disinformation Campaign

Microsoft states that Russian agents have intensified a disinformation campaign regarding France and the Paris Olympics. In a statement published on Sunday, June 3, the company added that this campaign includes fake news websites and a lengthy documentary, specifically designed to undermine the credibility of the International Olympic Committee and create a narrative of violence during the Paris Olympics. The statement adds: "The most concerning instances of disinformation spread by Russian-affiliated agents promote fake threats attributed to extremist groups against the Olympics amid the ongoing war in Gaza." Microsoft claims to have discovered instances of disinformation by Russian-affiliated agents in late 2023, where images of graffiti on the walls of Paris are published, falsely suggesting that these slogans contain threats of violence against Israeli athletes. Some of these slogans reference the killing of 11 Israeli athletes during the Munich Olympics in 1972 by Palestinian militants. Microsoft further stated that this campaign is led by two Russian-affiliated groups, which the company's investigations show operate under the names "Storm-1679" and "Storm-1099" or "Doppelganger." According to the company, the group known as "Doppelganger" amplifies and promotes Russia's claims of financial corruption within the International Olympic Committee and the likelihood of violent incidents coinciding with the Paris Olympics, citing 15 seemingly French news websites, all of which are fake. The group identified by Microsoft as "Storm-1679" released a lengthy documentary titled "The Fallen Olympics" last June, which Microsoft claims aims to discredit the management of the International Olympic Committee. Microsoft states that the narrator of this documentary is a fake voice of Tom Cruise, the famous American actor, produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, and attempted to deceive other American celebrities into endorsing the documentary through messages broadcast via "Cameo," a video-personal message website. Microsoft said in its statement: "This action clearly shows that the creators of this documentary spent a significant amount of time on this scheme, and their technical capabilities exceed those of other identified propaganda influence campaigns." Microsoft added: "It is unlikely that the Kremlin-affiliated agents' advertising campaign will decrease as the date of the Paris Olympics approaches. This campaign has intensified since last year when the International Olympic Committee banned Russia from participating in the Paris Olympics."