Meta cracks down on China-based network spreading fakes about Ukraine

"The users posed as Americans and sought to spread polarising content about US politics and US-China relations," the statement said.

Among the topics the network posted about were abortion, culture war issues, and aid to Ukraine.

"Meta did not link the profiles to Beijing officials, but it has seen an increase in such networks based in China ahead of the 2024 US elections," the media states.

According to the company, China is currently the third-largest geographic source of such networks, following Russia and Iran.

Meta also identified several other fake accounts

The China-based network included more than 4,700 accounts and used profile pictures and names copied from other users worldwide. The accounts shared and liked each other's posts, and some of the content appeared to be taken directly from X.

The company says it also found two smaller networks: one based in China focused on India and Tibet, and another in Russia, which primarily posted English-language messages about the invasion of Ukraine and promoted Telegram channels.

Russian social media, which initially focused on unreliable campaigns after the 2016 elections, are increasingly paying attention to the war in Ukraine and attempting to undermine international support for Kyiv.

Fakes against Ukraine

Recently, a video appeared online allegedly featuring the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, calling for a "coup" among Ukrainians and advising military personnel not to obey "criminal orders of the authorities."

There is also misinformation in Ukraine about the supposed "mobilization of hundreds of pregnant women" into the Armed Forces. In reality, this is nothing more than a fake and a Russian narrative.

There is also a video claiming that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the "cancellation of martial law in parts of Ukraine." This video is a fake.