Imagine a world where artificial intelligence becomes the ultimate propaganda machine, churning out fake videos and images faster than you can say “deep fake”. That’s exactly what’s happening with a pro-Russia disinformation campaign dubbed Operation Overload, and it’s getting scary good at manipulating reality.

The AI Disinformation Playbook

Researchers have uncovered a digital nightmare where free AI tools are being used to create a tsunami of misleading content targeting global tensions. Between September 2024 and May 2025, this campaign dramatically ramped up content production, going from 230 unique pieces to a whopping 587 pieces of digital deception.

Tech Tools Turned Weapon

These digital troublemakers aren’t using fancy custom AI - they’re weaponizing consumer-grade tools like Flux AI for image generation and voice cloning technology. The result? Fake videos that make it look like experts are saying things they never said, and images designed to stoke racist and xenophobic sentiments.

Global Platform Infiltration

Their content is spreading like wildfire across over 600 Telegram channels, X, Bluesky, and even TikTok. In just a few weeks, some TikTok videos garnered 3 million views before being taken down. The kicker? They’re even emailing fact-checking organizations, hoping to get their fake content mentioned - because any publicity is good publicity in the disinformation world.