Kremlin's Ghost Army Now Top Source of Ukraine War Lies

A secretive Russian military unit is spreading more false claims about the war in Ukraine than the country's major state media outlets combined. The unit, known as Storm-1516, generated a higher volume of war-related disinformation in 2025 than the Kremlin-backed networks RT and Sputnik. This marks a strategic shift. Russia is now relying more on covert online influence operations than its official propaganda channels to shape global narratives. Storm-1516 is part of Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU. It operates anonymously online using fake social media accounts and websites. Its goal is to undermine support for Ukraine and fracture Western unity. Experts say this approach is more effective and harder to trace. Unlike state TV, these covert networks can disguise their Russian origin and target specific audiences with tailored falsehoods. The operation floods the internet with deceptive claims. These often accuse Ukraine of atrocities or allege Western corruption. The increased output from groups like Storm-1516 shows a continued focus on information warfare as a key battlefield.