Meta removed over a hundred fake Russian propaganda accounts targeting Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan
Meta removes fake accounts
Meta has removed 76 fake Facebook accounts and 30 pages, along with 11 Instagram accounts, all originating from Russia, for violating the platforms’ policies. According to the company’s report, these accounts targeted Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
- In Georgia, the network spread content critical of recent protests against the “foreign agent law,” showing support for the ruling party, Georgian Dream.
- In Azerbaijan, posts criticized the West.
- In Armenia, the network promoted pro-Russian narratives, and criticized Armenia’s Prime Minister.
According to the report, this network was designed to influence specific countries through misinformation. It includes fake sites such as Georgia Today (sakartvelo-today.org) in Georgia, Yerli.Media (yerlimedia.org) in Azerbaijan, and Lurer Media (lurermedia.org) in Armenia.
All these sites are linked to IMA Digital, a marketing firm registered in Moscow.
Meta reports that these news websites were also present on various platforms, including YouTube, Telegram, and TikTok, to appear more credible.
Despite the removal of their accounts from Facebook and Instagram, the sites continue to operate, publishing “hot news” in Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Russian.
On Facebook and Instagram, the network’s operators used fake accounts, managed pages, and posted content to drive users to their websites.
To promote their content on Meta platforms, they spent $77,000 on advertising.
The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) provided information about the fake accounts, which were subsequently detected and blocked by Meta’s automated systems pending investigation.
The report also notes that Meta removed 43 accounts and 85 pages involved in coordinated campaigns targeting Ukrainian and Moldovan citizens. These pages criticized the Ukrainian government for its handling of the war, low levels of military mobilization, and delays in presidential elections, while also promoting pro-Russian politicians in Moldova.
This is not the first instance of Meta blocking fake accounts and pages linked to the Georgian government or its ruling party.
In 2023, Meta removed 80 accounts, 26 pages, and 9 groups on Facebook, along with 2 Instagram accounts associated with the Georgian government’s Strategic Communications Department.
In 2020, Meta took down 511 pages, 101 personal accounts, 122 groups on Facebook, and 56 Instagram accounts connected to the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition United National Movement party.
