The Twilight World of Disinformation: Doppelgängers, Digital Dead Souls and Tenet's Influence
Zarina Zabrisky on how one of her articles for Byline Times not only reached the Kremlin but had become evidence in the FBI's seizure of internet domains linked to Russian influence campaigns.
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The Propaganda Exposé: Inception Dream
After ten years of reporting on the hybrid war, I woke up in a Cristopher Nolan layered movie-like reality. The news was unexpected: my article exposing a Russian influence campaign ominously named Doppelgänger had reached the Kremlin.
In a Nolanesque twist, the article was translated and shared with the Russian Presidential Administration as a part of the struggle by the “collective West” against Russian propaganda. The plot thickened when, after the Kremlin memos were leaked to the FBI, my work became evidence in an FBI affidavit, supporting the seizure of 32 internet domains linked to the campaign.
Adding layers, the indictment proved to be only a part of a larger FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) operation countering the Russian influence campaign. Several indictments followed, including the Tenet Media scandal.
Tenet and the Elusive Truth
A DOJ indictment suggested that Tenet Media allegedly received $10 million in covert funding from Russian state media employees and collaborated with RT (Russia Today) and its Editor-in-Chief, Margarita Simonyan. They are accused of using American and Canadian influencers—potentially without their knowledge—to spread content targeting Western democracies and former Soviet republics. Tenet Media’s content aligned with Russia’s goals of amplifying divisions in the US, particularly concerning Ukraine.
On its no longer-operating website, Tenet Media previously described itself as “a network of heterodox commentators focusing on Western political and cultural issues.” Its stated goal is “to support creators who question institutions that believe themselves to be above questioning,” echoing RT’s motto, “Question More.” While Tenet’s TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts have been suspended, their Rumble account remains active, mirroring the content from their suspended YouTube channel.
The choice of the name "Tenet" for the media network is telling. Tenet is Christopher Nolan’s most obscure film. In the movie, a Russian oligarch, terminally ill, plans to kill himself and destroy the world. He creates a weapon to reverse time and bring Earth back to a point of non-existence. The device combines natural chaos with nuclear energy but a secretive organisation specialising in chaos hires an agent who travels between the past and the future and saves the world.
The film explores the clash between past and future, an individual's internal existential struggle, and the tragic inability to revisit one’s past. It can be interpreted through Hegel’s dialectical method, where opposing arguments collide and form a new belief. Tenet, a palindrome, means a "belief" or "principle." The film’s passcodes—“We live in a twilight world” and “There are no friends at dusk”—suggest the limitation of human cognition. In a chaotic world, truth becomes elusive.
This ambiguity, along with the film’s references to Soviet and post-Soviet history in the opening and closing scenes, may have appealed to Kremlin propagandists aiming to sow discord and confusion in the English-speaking world. Kremlin political technologists have a predilection for seemingly complex, often vague, and obscure ideas. Muddying the waters of cognition is a part of the plan.
Begemot, Chaos, and the Fear of Death
Another name linked to Russian influence operations is "Begemot," a reference to The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, one of the most popular novels in the post-Soviet world.
In 2015, Sam Patten, a US political operative, and Konstantin Kilimnik, linked to Russian military intelligence (GRU), co-founded Begemot Ventures International Ltd. Begemot, [usually translated as Behemoth in English] a talking black tomcat in Bulgakov's novel, brings chaos and disorder, helping stage a black magic show in a Moscow theatre where Satan himself, disguised as a “foreign consultant”, hypnotises and deceives the audience, leading to mass psychosis.
In 2018, Patten, who worked with Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort, and collaborated with Cambridge Analytica (a UK company specialising in election micro-targeting), admitted to failing to register as a foreign agent while lobbying for a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party.
Decoding the Begemot Ventures and Tenet websites sheds light on the philosophy behind Kremlin manipulation. Semiotics—the study of signs and symbols—has played a crucial role in Russian covert operations aimed at undermining liberal democracies since 2014. “Political technologists”—experts in sowing chaos and discord—manipulate reality, create optical illusions, and shape collective mentality, not by directly interfering in elections but by, in the words of former Putin aide Vladislav Surkov, interfering “within the brains”. These “influencers without borders” operate on a deeper level, manipulating archetypes and the subconscious to shape public perception.
Russian political technologists exploit human cognitive mechanisms, echoing Joseph Campbell’s notion that myths can transform consciousness. The manipulation feeds off Russia's literature-centric culture. Many of Russia’s key ideologists, such as Surkov or Alexander Dugin, a fascist philosopher often referred to as “Putin’s brain”, began their careers as writers.
In a further twist, the myth of Russian cultural superiority, driven by an inferiority complex, fuels aggression. Symbols of power—money, weapons, and palaces—serve as compensation for internalised shame and the trauma of resentment toward the “collective West”. To take revenge, Russian political professionals mock the unsuspecting audience, using literary allusions to feel intellectually superior, and sarcasm as a defence mechanism. This behaviour reflects a deep-rooted national inferiority complex, manifesting through covert actions from the murder of critics to malign influence campaigns.
The dying Russian oligarch's nuclear threats echoed from the gilded halls of the Kremlin, are cries of fear—fear of losing power, fear of death. Secretive organisations conspire in the twilight, seeking to reverse time back to the USSR. The Soviet past threatens to erase the future, blurring the line between history and the present, much like the distorted timelines in Nolan’s Tenet.
While Tenet was on everyone’s mind— “follow the money” and scandalous personalities parade, the staples of the American establishment—the more obscure campaign with a sinister name Doppelgänger remained hidden in the shadows.
Digital Dead Souls and Doppelgängers
In a separate action, the FBI and DOJ seized 32 internet domains used by Russian government-directed disinformation campaigns. These fake sites, part of a campaign named Doppelgänger, aimed to sway Western public opinion as part of Russia's hybrid war.
The use of fake identities stretches back to the 19th-century Russian Empire, to Gogol’s novel Dead Souls, where a trickster buys the names of deceased serfs to boost his status and gain wealth. In the digital age, the idea has evolved into Russian bot farms and troll factories purchasing, fabricating, and hijacking social media profiles—digital “dead souls”—and presenting them as real. These fake personas distort reality, influence public opinion, and spread disinformation.
The Kremlin agents created fake social media profiles, posing as US or non-Russian citizens, to promote spoofed websites. Methods included hiring global influencers, paying for social media ads (sometimes created using AI tools), and employing digital “dead souls” to post comments with links, misleading viewers into believing they were visiting legitimate news sites.
Russia also utilised a tactic known as cybersquatting, purchasing domains that closely mimicked legitimate news outlets to spread disinformation. An investigation, led by an FBI agent specialising in foreign malign influence and espionage, revealed that these domains were purchased from US registries by foreign entities working for the Russian Government. They aimed to impersonate Government agencies and legitimate media outlets across Europe.
These domains covertly disseminated Russian Government propaganda. Designed to look like real news websites, they featured images, links, and even cookie acceptance pages. The content was tailored to reduce international support for Ukraine, promote pro-Russian policies, influence voters in the US and abroad, and conceal Russia or its agents as the source of the disinformation.
Social Design
The Doppelgänger influence campaign was orchestrated by the Social Design Agency (SDA), Structura National Technology, and ANO Dialog, all under the control of Sergei Kiriyenko, Putin’s First Deputy Chief of Staff.
SDA’s task was influencing public opinion by mimicking legitimate news outlets and planting false stories, while Structura handled technology and bot management. These organisations helped launch a multi-faceted disinformation campaign, targeting elections and public opinion in the US, Germany, and beyond.
SDA, Structura National Technology, and ANO Dialog were key players in this campaign. Both SDA, a public relations firm specializing in election campaigns, and Structura, a technology company focused on website design and bot management, were founded by Ilya Gambashidze and based in Moscow. They worked closely with Russian Government clients.
Previously, on 20 March 2024, the US government sanctioned Ilya Gambashidze, Nikolai Tupikin, SDA, and Structura, under an executive order aimed at individuals and groups connected to harmful Russian government activities. These activities—interfering with democratic elections, conducting cyberattacks, corrupting foreign governments, and targeting dissidents or journalists—posed significant threats to US national security, foreign policy, and the economy.
The design and structuring of the collective mindset in Western societies have been directed by the Kremlin. Sergei Kiriyenko, known as Putin’s “domestic policy curator,” oversaw the project. An internal note from 13 January 2023, revealed that Kiriyenko and his team had “reported to the President about the project.”
Funds were transferred from outside the US to lease domains from US-based registrars for individuals under sanction, including Kiriyenko. The Doppelgänger campaign violated US money laundering and criminal trademark laws, as well as laws against trafficking in counterfeit goods. The foreign entities involved lacked the necessary licenses or authorisations to purchase, renew, or transfer the fake domains. This led to US individuals unknowingly supporting sanctioned entities. As a result, the domains were seized and forfeited due to their involvement in these unlawful activities.
The Department of Fakes: “War for Peace”
Participants took notes, and in a year between April 2022-2023, at least 20 meetings of the Russian Presidential Administration were documented. These memos, originally in Russian, lawfully obtained during an FBI investigation, contained extensive information, including contact lists, staff directories, task assignments, and plans for malign influence campaigns. Its objectives included undermining the West and creating divisions within the Ukrainian elite, discrediting Ukraine’s military leadership, and inciting internal conflict.
The initial strategic plan involved establishing a separate department for “fake content” to target the UK, Germany, and Italy. The documents included detailed instructions for creating and using digital “dead souls”—fake American social media profiles designed to influence US elections with specific content and comments.
The story takes an Orwellian turn with lines such as: “To be effective: 1. Creating nuclear psychosis. The USA has been preparing Europe for a big war with the Russian Federation. War for peace. 2. Exaggeration.”
Kremlin political technologists determined that “the Germans are more dependent than the French” and concentrated their efforts on Germany. They agreed that “first and foremost, we need to discredit the USA, Great Britain, and NATO; secondly, we need to convey the truth about the war in Ukraine.”
In classic Soviet combat propaganda style, the Kremlin propagandists suggested using “real facts to complement fake facts.” They encouraged creativity and enthusiasm: “Create a fake story about an American soldier raping a German woman. That would be great!” The notes outlined strategies for using influencers, a “media cluster” of “40-50 websites per country,” and the production of “political animated movies.”
“When providing a narrative, it’s important to remember that this is ‘from a German to a German’, ‘from a Frenchman to a Frenchman’!”
One notable quote was, “If we can, we need a separate department for fakes—a factory!”
A 26-page SDA manual detailed a campaign targeting the Ukrainian public, organised into four sections: monitoring, analytics, content production, and content delivery. The manual specified that “long reads” (2,000 to 5,000 characters) should be written for Ukrainian audiences, and accompanied by 10 comments and 3 teasers. Both SDA-controlled domains and ANO Dialog’s media brands published these “long reads,” while comments and teasers facilitated their spread on social media.
Starting in the fall of 2023, SDA launched “The Good Old USA Project” to sway US public opinion. The campaign promoted the idea that the US should prioritise domestic issues over spending on Ukraine and other regions. Stories disguised as news were distributed and further amplified with comments and memes on Facebook and X (Twitter). Operatives used targeted social media advertising to track and manipulate American reactions in real-time. Meta records reveal that Doppelgänger employed AI tools to generate content, including images and videos for negative ads about US politicians. False accounts mimicking legitimate news organisations were used for ad purchases. US credit cards were used for ad purchases.
Big Brother is Watching You
In addition, SDA monitored over 2,800 media figures and social media influencers across 81 countries, including politicians, journalists, and bloggers. Of these, 21% were based in the US. SDA also tracked more than 1,900 “anti-influencers”—individuals posting content contrary to Russian objectives, with 26% based in the US. This data was used to analyse public opinion trends and measure the impact of their influence campaigns.
One SDA document, Countermeasures by Foreign Agencies and Organizations, expressed concerns about the collective West’s efforts to counter Doppelgänger. It listed major online platforms, fact-checkers, and investigators, 15 publications such as Meta, The Washington Post, Le Monde, and Byline Times, discussing the Doppelgänger campaign. SDA planned to counter social media companies’ efforts to block SDA, Structura, and Dialog’s propaganda.
That is how my Byline Times article, along with these publications, was translated into Russian and became a part of the SDA records. Along with the strategy meeting notes and project proposals, it was attached as an exhibit in the DOJ indictment.
Back to Inception: Fighting Dead Souls and Digital Doubles
d-Team is a self-funded group of volunteers researching influence campaigns and disinformation. The group has been analysing and tracking Doppelgänger campaigns since September 2023, and their efforts have significantly contributed to bringing down many of these campaigns as data became more accessible. Their primary goal is to document the content and report it to law enforcement. While they focus on X/Twitter, their investigations often lead them to other platforms, as Doppelgänger accounts frequently share links to Telegram, Instagram, YouTube, and various websites. The Doppelgänger campaign is also connected to the Tenet Media campaign, with narratives from both often overlapping.
Although none of the original Doppelgänger websites are functional after 32 sites were taken down, the Doppelgänger quote accounts continue to post content. Even without the websites, they now share memes and videos in English, German, Ukrainian, Turkish, French, Polish, and Hebrew, with the list of languages constantly expanding. Byline Times interviewed one of the researchers on the condition of anonymity for security reasons.
“The real danger lies in the steady drip of constant influence,” said D, who had years of experience tracking disinformation. “These fake accounts often post in the replies to unrelated social media content, targeting unsuspecting users, such as those commenting on sports news or from undecided voters. The strategy is similar to advertising. For instance, a Doppelgänger account might post a meme and a short text accusing Zelenskyy of corruption, claiming falsely he bought a yacht or a house in the South of France. This might appear under a comment by a sports fan praising the Detroit Lions on ESPN. While the fan might dismiss it as nonsense, the idea still registers subconsciously. It is now incepted.
“It’s like seeing a brand advertisement repeatedly—you may not engage with it, but it sticks in your mind. Over time, these messages seep into the American psyche. When that Lions fan from Detroit goes to vote a month later, they may vaguely recall the idea that Ukraine is corrupt, even without remembering where they first heard it. Faced with two candidates—one supporting Ukraine, the other not—that impression might influence their decision. This is the danger of Doppelgänger’s influence campaigns: ideas are subtly implanted in the consciousness of Americans.
“Those familiar with the mechanics recognise it as a Russian disinformation campaign, but most people don't. The Russians are manipulating foreign policy, elections, cultural debates, and sowing division within the US, a tactic they replicate in other countries by using the same techniques in multiple languages.
“The Doppelgänger accounts not only spread this content but also quote articles from legitimate websites like Fox News or The Washington Post, even though the text they reference isn’t in the original article. Many people don’t follow the link to verify, either because they lack a subscription or the time to check, trusting the brand name instead. Doppelgänger accounts exploit this trust, inserting misleading or false information while using the prestige of well-known outlets.
“They also post broken links with provocative text and images, knowing the post itself will do the work. In other cases, they link to far-right websites that share Kremlin-aligned narratives. Several of these disinformation campaigns are ongoing across various platforms right now.”
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