Thousands of Fake Accounts Flood Russian Telegram Channels Ahead of Elections

A wave of suspicious subscriptions has hit a range of Russian Telegram channels, with some reporting increases of up to 10,000 followers in just a few days. The accounts are largely inactive, missing photos and bearing algorithmic usernames, which points to a bot-driven campaign rather than organic growth. Channels affected include independent media such as Important Stories, TV Rain, one outlet, Ostorozhno, Novosti and Astra, as well as pro-government outlets like RT and the channel of Vladimir Solovyov.

Observers warn that inflated subscriber counts could be leveraged to file mass complaints and force the platforms to block these channels ahead of the upcoming State Duma elections. Important Stories noted the surge followed its investigation into underage sex trafficking that named billionaire Oleg Deripaska. No clear source for the operation has been identified.