A propaganda network aligned with Russia, known for creating deepfake videos, has been identified as the source behind a coordinated effort to spread baseless claims that Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz sexually assaulted one of his former students. This disinformation campaign has been linked to a network called Storm-1516, which has a history of promoting Kremlin talking points through fake whistleblower videos. The campaign has gained traction among high-profile figures in the Republican party, including vice presidential candidate JD Vance and popular right-wing podcaster Candace Owens. The claims were first debunked by users on X, a social media platform, but gained more attention after a deepfake video was released on Wednesday. The campaign appears to have originated from John Dougan, a former Florida cop now living in Moscow, who appeared on a QAnon show with an anonymous man claiming to be a former student of Walz. Experts believe this is part of Russia’s larger effort to disrupt the upcoming election and support former president Donald Trump. This tactic of using deepfake videos is a well-established method in Russia’s disinformation playbook, according to experts.
