Russia’s AI disinformation campaign linked to Israel-based think tank: Spiegel

A Russian anti-Western disinformation network that used artificial intelligence to spread pro-Kremlin propaganda is linked to an Israel-based think tank, German news magazine Der Spiegel reported Tuesday.

User accounts flagged by OpenAI’s security teams used ChatGPT to generate propaganda mainly for Telegram channels while also promoting the International Burke Institute, according to the magazine.

The institute describes itself as an “expert community” founded in 2025 and based in Israel.

Der Spiegel said online evidence connects the institute to a charity called Dor Moriah, which is run by Israelis with Russian and Ukrainian roots and has alleged ties to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Neither the International Burke Institute nor Dor Moriah responded to requests for comment, according to the magazine.

In a statement Tuesday, OpenAI confirmed that it had banned a group of Russian-origin accounts involved in covert influence operations across several languages.

“We recently banned a cluster of ChatGPT accounts originating in Russia that were being used to promote the International Burke Institute,” the company said.

In addition to promoting the think tank, the accounts generated posts for several Telegram channels, according to OpenAI.

One of the channels, Lahme Ente, or Lame Duck, has about 20,000 subscribers and publishes content critical of the EU, the German government and Western support for Ukraine, Der Spiegel reported.

Some recent headlines included “What Is NATO Hiding From Us?” and “Europe’s Inevitable Downfall,” according to the magazine.