Since 2023, the Russian disinformation network “Storm-1516” has been operating in the West, which actively spreads fake products and interferes in the political processes of foreign countries. supposedWhat’s in the set? Related to With the GRU, it includes former employees of the “dwarf factory” of Evgeny Prigozhin. “Storm-1516” was previously accused of interfering in the American elections. Germany And Hungary. One of the group’s most recent operations is the publication of a fake BBC report that a stolen painting by Paul Cézanne had been spotted in Vladimir Zelensky’s office (of course, like everything else Storm-1516 publishes, this is a lie). Bloomberg agency in detail He saidWhat kind of group is this? Journalists described it as Russia’s most powerful weapon in the disinformation war. Meduza briefly recounts the main facts from this investigation.
- Storm 1516 uses fake videos, fake websites posing as news outlets, and anonymous bloggers with audiences in the thousands to spread fake stories. In it, politicians from European countries and the United States are accused of corruption, election fraud, sexual violence and other crimes. Bloomberg found more than 190 fabricated stories about the group that have appeared online since August 2023.
- Video clips prepared by participants in “Storm-1516” show forged documents and the publication of false statements from witnesses and victims. All videos look almost the same and are often presented in a news report format. The audio and video in the materials are processed using artificial intelligence.
- Fake stories are mostly spread across social network X, although they are also present on TikTok, Telegram, Facebook and Instagram. The X Johnny Midnight account published the most fake stories, posting about 60 items. More than 630 thousand users subscribe to it. The real owner of the account is unknown. Since February 2024, a user has a blue tick indicating paid status, which increases the visibility of their posts. After Bloomberg contacted X management, the account was blocked, but a week later it was unblocked again (the social network did not comment on this).
- More than 40% of all Storm-1516 fiction targets Ukraine, and another third targets electoral processes in other countries. Many fake products are intended directly for the President of Ukraine. Among them, for example, are the following: Vladimir Zelensky was linked to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; Ukrainian First Lady Elena Zelenskaya spent $1.1 million on jewelry and $4.5 million on a Bugatti sports car. Zelensky has a Russian passport and an apartment in Moscow; Zelensky bought his mother a $3.2 million apartment in the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai (this apartment was bombed by an Iranian drone). News fact checkers have proven all of these reports to be fake. Stories about Zelensky continue to emerge every month, and sometimes every week.
- Some of the hoaxes spread by the Russian disinformation network are being replicated by prominent politicians. Thus, in November 2023, an unreliable report emerged that Zelensky’s associates had purchased two yachts worth $75 million stolen from Western military aid. Brokers involved in the sale of yachts denied this. However, then-Senator J.D. Vance (current Vice President of the United States) publicly repeated this lie when explaining why he opposed the United States continuing to aid Ukraine. Former US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene also reported the story.
- The global information war that Russia is waging against the West, two representatives of European intelligence services told Bloomberg, is led by the First Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Administration, Sergei Kiriyenko. Western officials believe that Russian military intelligence, the GRU, is behind the Storm-1516 group. According to Ukrainian intelligence, GRU Unit No. 29155, led by Oleg Kushner, paid for the group’s servers and artificial intelligence tools, which were used to create fake news. Ukrainian intelligence believes that Storm 1516 is being coordinated by GRU officer Yuri Khoroshenko.
- The group’s content could be created by Eugene Prigozhin’s fake human rights organization “Anti-Repression Foundation,” according to EU authorities. They imposed sanctions on her. The European Union also believes that Storm 1516 is supported by former US police officer John Dugan, who has been living in Russia since 2016. Western countries have also imposed sanctions on philosopher and preacher Alexander Dugin, who is believed to have coordinated the publication of fake “Storm 1516” accounts.
- In the first quarter of 2026, Storm 1516 members began posting twice as many fake stories than in the same period last year. In late March and early April, such messages appeared almost daily. Dozens of messages concerned Hungary, where preparations were underway for parliamentary elections (as a result of the elections, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán lost to oppositionist Peter Magyar). More than 25 articles relate to Armenia (parliamentary elections are expected there in June) and current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. In addition, the group fabricated material about French President Emmanuel Macron.
- “Storm 1516” attempted to interfere in the elections in the United States in 2024, and in Moldova and Germany in 2025. Bloomberg indicates that before the US Congressional elections in November, Russia will intensify its disinformation campaign to undermine Americans’ confidence in democratic institutions and the electoral process.