Russia fraudulently used stars Elijah Wood and Priscilla Presley for another fake against Ukraine

In Russia, they fraudulently used videos of Western celebrities to create another fake. This is stated in a security study conducted by Microsoft, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The stars were forced to record videos in support of a man named “Vladimir,” who was allegedly struggling with substance abuse. But the purpose of these videos turned out to be different: they were edited and distributed on the Internet to discredit the Ukrainian president.

In this way, the propagandists wanted to create the illusion that famous people confirm the fact that the president of Ukraine has an addiction, a false claim that Russia has tried to promote in the past.

The videos are believed to have been recorded using the Cameo app, where users can purchase messages from celebrities. At least seven celebrities, including Elijah Wood and Priscilla Presley, have unwittingly become part of Russian propaganda.

According to Microsoft, Elijah Wood’s video appeared in July. Subsequently, researchers noticed six other similar videos featuring celebrities.

This tactic reflects Russia’s ongoing efforts to distort global perceptions of the war it started in Ukraine. There have been previous attempts to target the Ukrainian president and use celebrity likenesses to spread propaganda. But the involvement of American stars in recording real videos is the first known example of this kind.