Disrupting a New Covert Influence Campaign From Russia
OpenAI, Tuesday, August 25th, 2026
OpenAI banned Russia-origin accounts using AI to promote a fake Israel-based think tank and a pro-Russia sovereignty index.
OpenAI has banned a set of Russia-origin accounts that were using its models as part of a covert influence operation.
The campaign promoted a fabricated Israel-based think tank and a purported 'sovereignty' index constructed to praise Russia and criticize Western countries.
Presenting the output as the work of an independent research institution was central to the deception, giving the rankings an appearance of methodological legitimacy.
OpenAI frames the disruption within its broader Global Affairs work on detecting and removing accounts using its tools for coordinated inauthentic behavior.