Russia exploited the accounts of real people on Bluesky to disseminate fake articles, according to a statement by the social media platform. This marks a new tactic in their strategy to spread misinformation.
On May 21, 2026, Bluesky user Ben Gilbert, who is an economist and professor at the Colorado School of Mines, found his account compromised. Unbeknownst to him, his account posted a video blaming France’s support for Ukraine for police shortages at home.
The hijacking of accounts was highlighted by researchers at Clemson University and a monitoring group known as the dTeam. They track Russian influence operations and confirmed the involvement of numerous accounts from influential but not necessarily famous individuals. These included journalists, professors, a pollster, an anime artist, and a filmmaker.
In one case, an account was used to share a video manipulated by artificial intelligence. The video appeared to show a Canadian police official criticizing France’s president, Emmanuel Macron.
This operation was linked to the Social Design Agency, based in Moscow. It demonstrates Russia’s ongoing attempts to undermine support for Ukraine, which was invaded by Russian forces in 2022.
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