An investigation by the BBC has uncovered a network of fake Twitter accounts using stolen images of influencers and ordinary people to promote Russian President Vladimir Putin and show support for the war in Ukraine.
The accounts, many created in late February and early March 2022, used hashtags such as #IStandWithPutin and #IStandWithRussia. They targeted audiences in the global south, including India, Pakistan, South Africa and Nigeria, to create the impression of widespread support for Russia.
Researchers at CASM Technology tracked nearly 10,000 profiles promoting Russia on 2 and 3 March. More than 1,000 showed spam-like characteristics, such as being newly created, retweeting in high volumes and producing few original messages.
The BBC confirmed that profile pictures were stolen from Indian influencer ER Yamini, Australian model Nicole Thorne and Indian singer Raja Gujjar, among others. None of them knew their images were being used. One account, pretending to be Indian model Preety Sharma, retweeted: 'Putin is a good person.'
Not all accounts were fake. Some, like that of Indian aeronautical engineer Senthil Kumar, were genuine users who retweeted pro-Russia content because they believed Russia had supported India in the past.
The source of the fake accounts remains unclear, and the BBC found no direct link to the Russian government. However, the campaign appears designed to artificially amplify support for Putin in non-Western countries.
