The Insider has published an investigation into the Doppelganger network, which spreads fabricated news stories and conducts information campaigns targeting Ukraine and Western countries. Correspondence, internal documents and reports examined by the journalists trace links between the network's participants and Russia's presidential administration, revealing how disinformation was produced and distributed.
According to The Insider's investigation, the network began taking shape in 2022. The outlet identifies Sergei Kiriyenko, the first deputy chief of staff of Russia's presidential administration, as one of the project's initiators and political strategist Ilya Gambashidze, associated with the Social Design Agency (SDA), as a key operator.
Among the alleged supervisors, the journalists name Alexander Kharichev, head of a presidential administration department responsible for monitoring and analyzing social processes, and Kremlin official Sofia Zakharova. According to the documents, Kharichev oversaw campaigns related to Ukraine, while Zakharova was responsible for promoting content in Western countries.
Network participants created websites impersonating established news organizations, distributed links through social media and used paid advertising. They also promoted prepared messages through comments on legitimate news outlets' posts and networks of inauthentic accounts.
One objective was to get false claims circulated beyond the network's own platforms. The Insider cites campaigns alleging that Ukrainian leaders had purchased expensive yachts. Such claims entered public debate and were repeated by prominent politicians.
The investigation also describes information operations in France. According to the journalists, people linked to the network arranged for images of antisemitic graffiti and content intended to heighten concerns about public safety to be circulated.
Separate campaigns targeted audiences in Germany, Britain, Italy and other countries. Their subjects included sanctions against Russia, assistance to Ukraine, migration and domestic political divisions.
The documents describe an internal reporting system used to track the reach of publications and audience reactions. Operators recorded how prepared messages spread, including cases in which third-party users or public figures amplified the material.
The Insider also identified connections between Doppelganger participants, political consulting organizations and specialists who had previously worked in organizations associated with Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The findings about the network's personnel, financing, management and division of responsibilities are those of The Insider's investigative team. They do not constitute judicial determinations of the responsibility of every individual named.
The newly published evidence portrays Doppelganger not merely as a collection of fabricated news stories, but as an organized information operation with identifiable operators, supervisors and systems for measuring results.