Russian influence operation Matryoshka circulated AI-generated videos on X starting in early September 2026 featuring synthetic likenesses of Robert De Niro, Julia Roberts, and Cher attacking Democrats.

From the articleRussian ‘Matryoshka’ Bot Farm Targets US Midterms With AIAlso in Russia Steps Up Online Campaign to Sow Midterm Election Chaos, Russian Bots Manipulate View Counts on Fake Videos Ahead of US Midterms