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Russian structures linked to the Kremlin have launched a long-term influence campaign dubbed “Project 2026,” aimed not only at spreading disinformation on social media but also at creating an alternative information ecosystem designed to manipulate search engine algorithms and poison the data used to train AI chatbots, according to an investigation by Bloomberg.
Citing dozens of internal documents from the Russia-based Social Design Agency (SDA), Bloomberg reported that the operation involves building a vast network of websites disguised as media outlets, think tanks and Wikipedia-style reference pages to influence both internet users and artificial intelligence systems, UATV English reports.
The Social Design Agency has previously been sanctioned by the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom for its role in Kremlin disinformation campaigns. According to the documents, one of the key figures involved is an employee of the Kremlin’s Information and Communications Directorate, while the operation is reportedly overseen by Sergei Kiriyenko, first deputy head of the Russian presidential administration.
The leaked materials, which include project proposals, internal chats and technical documents covering the period from 2023 to 2026, indicate that Russian operators are seeking to shape the information sources used by search engines and large language models.
Among the projects outlined is the creation of websites resembling Wikipedia. One initiative targeting Armenia sought to establish platforms featuring pro-Russian narratives and manipulated information about Armenian politicians, including Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Bloomberg reported that at least three such sites were launched before being blocked by hosting providers.
Another project focused on Germany and envisioned creating around 200,000 webpages while updating hundreds of articles each month to promote Kremlin-friendly narratives in search results and AI systems.
“Their approach is to try to break search engines by flooding the environment with content that cross-references their own narratives,” said Katerina Sedova, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and former U.S. State Department official specializing in technology and national security.
The documents also reveal plans to establish fake think tanks that would publish analyses with pro-Russian interpretations of international events. One such outlet, called the “World Center for Strategic Studies,” reportedly rewrote reports from established Western research institutions while adding conclusions favorable to the Kremlin.
Bloomberg said the documents also showed the Social Design Agency tracking the effectiveness of disinformation campaigns linked to the Russian operation known as Storm-1516. One example cited was the false story claiming that the mother of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had purchased two apartments in Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. According to internal records, the fabricated story generated around 86 million views, with coordinated networks amplifying it across social media.
Bloomberg noted that the strategy marks a significant evolution from the now-defunct Internet Research Agency, the troll farm once controlled by the late Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
