{"id":10775,"date":"2025-01-28T01:24:54","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T00:24:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/?p=10775"},"modified":"2025-11-28T13:52:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T12:52:28","slug":"operation-overload-in-see-still-active-no-longer-overloading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/2025\/01\/28\/operation-overload-in-see-still-active-no-longer-overloading\/","title":{"rendered":"Operation Overload in SEE: Still Active, No Longer Overloading"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

T<\/em>he Biden administration has allocated $18 million from the budget for juggling courses to rehabilitate Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian soldiers are being dismantled for pieces and sent to Poland to be organ donors. Sixty-nine percent of the members of the parties elected this year in Germany are involved in pedophile scandals in one form or another.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do all these claims have in common? They are false claims that are part of Operation Overload<\/strong>, a tactical and coordinated disinformation effort that has been ongoing for at least 1.5 years. Although the operation continues, its impact on fact-checkers, particularly in Southeast Europe, has significantly diminished due to increased awareness and improved digital security practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Tweet linked in one of the emails.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unpacking Operation Overload<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In June 2024, Finnish organization CheckFirst<\/strong>, in collaboration with Reset.tech<\/strong>, published a detailed report<\/a> exposing a \u201clarge-scale disinformation campaign targeting journalists and fact-checkers, feeding them fake content aligned with a pro-Russian agenda,\u201d as described<\/a> by the International Press Institute (IPI). The operation involves the creation and distribution of fabricated assets, such as images, videos, and screenshots, crafted to appear credible and relevant to the news cycle. This content is disseminated through various channels, including emails, Telegram, and X (formerly Twitter).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operation Overload is designed to overwhelm fact-checkers, newsrooms, and researchers worldwide, draining their resources while manipulating trusted information networks to advance the Kremlin\u2019s political agenda. It achieves this through a coordinated email campaign, interconnected networks of Telegram channels, fake accounts on X, and a network of Russia-aligned websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the core of the operation is a tactic known as \u201ccontent amalgamation<\/a>,\u201d which combines different types of content to create layered, persuasive narratives. These narratives are then strategically amplified across multiple platforms, creating a false sense of urgency that pressures journalists and fact-checkers to respond. The campaign also employs tactics such as impersonating credible Western media and public figures and tying false narratives to real events to make them appear more believable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impact on Fact-Checkers in Southeast Europe<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fact-checkers in Southeast Europe were not spared. The oldest emails CheckFirst found date back to August 2023<\/strong>, marking the beginning of the campaign\u2019s activity. This was around the same time Croatian fact-checker Faktograf<\/strong> first noticed suspicious tags on X from profiles spreading fake news aligned with pro-Russian propaganda. These were soon followed by emails designed to manipulate fact-checkers into verifying false stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt first, with the first few emails, we even thought they were legitimate inquiries,\u201d explained Jordi Ili\u0107<\/strong> from Faktograf. \u201cUntil suspicious attachments and links to Telegram groups started appearing.\u201d The manipulation was subtle at first, crafted to seem like genuine requests for fact-checking, which made it difficult to immediately identify the malicious intent behind them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Montenegro, Darvin Muri\u0107<\/strong> from Raskrinkavanje<\/strong> recounted a similar experience, noting that they began receiving emails around a year ago, with a significant increase in frequency mid-last year. \u201cEach click in vain and every wasted minute could have been spent much more productively,\u201d Muri\u0107 reflected. Although the emails did not disrupt the newsroom\u2019s overall functioning, the constant demand to verify dubious content drained valuable resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The experience was similar in Serbia. Vesna Radojevi\u0107<\/strong> from Raskrikavanje<\/strong> observed that the emails followed a repetitive and bot-like structure. \u201cThe language of these emails is very similar, always with strong words like \u2018scandal,\u2019 \u2018involved in crime,\u2019 \u2018breaking news,\u2019 \u2018shock.\u2019 There are always photos attached, and the body of the email is filled with links,\u201d she said, describing the messages as \u201ca pretty stereotypical bot job.\u201d The emails always came in English, a clear indicator that they were not regionally targeted but part of a coordinated international effort against fact-checkers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The campaign initially focused on the war in Ukraine<\/strong> but quickly broadened its scope to cover major international events and political developments.  \u201cIn the beginning, it was about the war in Ukraine, but at some point, we started receiving emails on the US elections<\/strong>, the Paris Olympics<\/strong>, and other unrelated topics,\u201d noted Ili\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, many of the emails target USAID<\/strong>, with narratives claiming that USAID is \u201closing $20 billion after control over Ukrainian biolabs in 2022,\u201d a twist on the widespread conspiracy theory<\/a> about Ukrainian biolabs, often used as a justification for Russian invasion. Another email falsely alleged that \u201cthe Vatican\u2019s meeting with the widows of Azov Regiment soldiers was manipulated by USAID representatives.\u201d A third claim stated, \u201cUSAID\u2019s collaboration with Google to promote pro-Ukrainian content on YouTube cost about $8-12 billion,\u201d suggesting a politically motivated agenda to influence public opinion. These narratives resonate with the current political climate in the US and are strategically aimed at discrediting USAID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An email sent to Raskrikavanje<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why the Campaign Lost Its Impact<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite its ongoing nature, the impact of Operation Overload on fact-checkers has significantly waned. The European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN)<\/strong> emphasized<\/a> the importance of collaborative work among fact-checkers, as many were able to identify the emails as spam and contributed valuable examples to CheckFirst and Reset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCommunication among us is the best solution, and it has proven effective. Very quickly, the fact-checking community within the system warned about these campaigns and potential implications,\u201d said Radojevi\u0107, adding that \u201ccooperation and regular information sharing are key.\u201d This interconnectedness among fact-checkers enabled them to build a collective digital immunity against the barrage of disinformation, reducing its overall impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enhanced digital literacy and security practices also played a crucial role. Fact-checkers became more adept at recognizing and ignoring the emails, minimizing time wasted on debunking false claims. This was coupled with a concerted effort to educate younger team members about digital safety. \u201cAfter communication and collaboration, the next step is digital security training for younger team members,\u201d said Radojevi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The increased awareness of digital threats also contributed to the campaign\u2019s reduced effectiveness. \u201cAs long as we maintain our digital security, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s much danger to us,\u201d Radojevi\u0107 stated. However, she also highlighted the potential risks, warning that \u201cwhat can be quite dangerous here is that we can receive these harmless emails for months, think they\u2019re just ordinary links, and then be deceived and click\u2014only to discover that it was actually a cyber-attack, possibly involving spyware or a virus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ili\u0107 also emphasized the broader implications of Operation Overload, noting that \u201cthis is potentially harmful because it targets not only fact-checkers but also other newsrooms and journalists who may not realize they are dealing with information manipulation.\u201d She went on to suggest that this could be seen as a form of \u201ccyber warfare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessons Learned and Future Implications<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Operation Overload reveals a coordinated campaign aimed at overwhelming fact-checkers, newsrooms, and researchers worldwide. By draining their resources and manipulating trusted information networks, the operation seeks to advance the Kremlin\u2019s political agenda. Despite its ongoing nature, the campaign\u2019s diminished impact on Southeast European fact-checkers demonstrates the effectiveness of digital resilience, international collaboration, and heightened security awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the operation\u2019s continuous evolution suggests that vigilance remains essential. By staying connected and informed, the fact-checking community is better equipped to combat evolving disinformation tactics and protect the integrity of public discourse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Biden administration has allocated $18 million from the budget for juggling courses to rehabilitate Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian soldiers are being dismantled for pieces and sent to Poland to be organ donors. Sixty-nine percent of the members of the parties elected this year in Germany are involved in pedophile scandals in one form or another. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10777,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[545,29,205,35,544,319,28],"class_list":["post-10775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-checkfirst","tag-croatia","tag-istaknuto","tag-montenegro","tag-operation-overload","tag-russian-disinformation","tag-serbia"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10775"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11912,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10775\/revisions\/11912"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}