russian AI campaign involving “Hasidic Jews in Uman”
russia is scaling up its disinformation campaign surrounding the pilgrimage to Uman.
▫️ During and after the celebration of the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), russia-controlled TikTok account networks circulated a series of AI-generated interview-style videos. In these clips, fake pilgrims claim they are moving to Ukraine permanently. The videos also contain fabricated claims about “payments from the Ukrainian government worth UAH 200,000,” “special benefits,” and even alleged plans to “make Uman an independent entity.”
▫️ The campaign is based entirely on disinformation. There is no “mass relocation” of foreigners — this is an annual temporary religious pilgrimage, after which Hasidic pilgrims return to their home countries. Ukraine has no government programs or financial payments aimed at encouraging foreign citizens to relocate to the country.
▫️ The fake videos are distributed through a network of russia-controlled social media accounts to create the illusion of a “mass movement” and a “privileged status” for foreigners.
The enemy’s main goal is to exploit heightened attention to the event in order to destabilize Ukrainian society from within and artificially provoke antisemitic sentiments.
