Story perspectives

X Removes 13,000 Accounts Linked to Foreign Disinformation

By Drooid · Oct 22, 2026, 4:24 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Warner Warns Russia

U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner warned Russia launched an influence campaign against Democrats before the 2026 midterms.
Warner said Russia uses artificial-intelligence tools to spread disinformation faster.
House Intelligence Committee member Jim Himes identified a deepfake video on X falsely accusing candidate James Talarico of sexual assault.
X removed more than 13,000 accounts linked to Russian, Iranian and Chinese disinformation campaigns.

Summary

Matryoshka Fabricates Articles

Misinformation about French protests spread across platforms.
Paris summoned Iran’s ambassador on Oct 7 after the foreign ministry’s posts drew 1.3 million views.
The Russian Matryoshka network fabricated about 20 articles in two days, impersonating AFP, Deutsche Welle and Le Monde.
Far-right activist Tommy Robinson’s post on the unrest attracted roughly 800,000 views, while another account reached over eight million.
Commercial accounts linked to West Africa spread misleading protest material to generate advertising revenue.

History

Historical Context

During the 2016 U.S. election the Kremlin-linked Internet Research Agency purchased about $100 000 in Facebook ads that Facebook later estimated reached 126 million Americans. Senate Intelligence Committee reports (2019-2020) tied the operation to Putin’s “Project Lakhta” and Cold-War-style active measures. Now Vice Chair Mark Warner warns AI-deepfakes and X deletions revive those tactics, urging stricter verification laws.

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Warner Warns Russia

U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner warned Russia launched an influence campaign against Democrats before the 2026 midterms.
Warner said Russia uses artificial-intelligence tools to spread disinformation faster.
House Intelligence Committee member Jim Himes identified a deepfake video on X falsely accusing candidate James Talarico of sexual assault.
X removed more than 13,000 accounts linked to Russian, Iranian and Chinese disinformation campaigns.

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