Russia’s Pravda News Network has published what appears to be an AI generated video promoting an Alberta secessionist rally schedule for Monday, January 26, on its Russian VK social media platform.
The Pravda news network, also known as Portal Kombat, is a coordinated pro-Russian disinformation ecosystem first identified by the French government’s VIGINUM agency in early 2024. VIGINUM labelled it a network of “information portals” that do not produce original journalism but aggregate and republish pro-Kremlin content from Russian state media, social media channels, and other online sources. Its aim is to present the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and Western policies in ways that align with Kremlin narratives, often denigrating Ukraine and criticizing Western support for it. The network’s sites use automation and search-engine optimization to spread misleading content widely in multiple languages.
The network includes a dedicated Canadian section canada[dot]news-pravda[dot]com which aggregates news from multiple sites and publishes multiple pieces of content every day. Kremlin controlled media outlets such as RT and TASS are major sources as is the Russian Embassy in Canada.
An Alberta civil society organization, “Cyber Alberta” has warned that Pravda is targeting Canadian interests.
While we assess the impact of this content to be limited, Pravda News’ publication of content focusing on the Alberta separatist movement signals Russia’s interest in the issue and demonstrates how narratives that could threaten Canadian unity are being targeted by Russian information operations, and that these channels should be monitored.
