A September report by US-based AI company Anthropic alleges that Russian operatives utilized its Claude AI assistant to conduct disinformation campaigns in the Central African Republic (CAR). The findings suggest a coordinated effort to promote pro-Russian narratives while undermining opposition figures and Western influence in the region.
According to the report, titled “Detecting and Countering Misuse of AI,” Russian agents monitored opposition politicians and generated propaganda content. Much of this material was broadcast via Radio Lengo Songo, a station that the investigative collective All Eyes on Wagner identifies as being funded by Russia. The content generally portrayed the CAR government and Russian Africa Corps mercenaries favorably, while casting France and domestic opponents in a negative light.
Lou Osborn, a member of All Eyes on Wagner involved in the research, told Deutsche Welle that such tactics are part of a longstanding practice observed during the Wagner Group’s tenure in the CAR. Osborn noted that individuals not closely affiliated with President Faustin-Archange Touadera’s regime have been arrested and subsequently targeted in online campaigns labeling them as French proxies or coup plotters.
The report also claimed that Claude was prompted to depict opposition figures as armed militants to incite security force action, though Anthropic stated the AI refused this specific request. However, the company did not identify the specific opposition leaders monitored or detail the exact nature of the intelligence collected.
Martin Ziguele, chairman of the Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People, told DW that the report validates opposition concerns about government determination to eliminate dissent. Ziguele referenced events dating back to 2020, when media outlets allegedly sought to link opposition leaders to rebel attacks, and noted recent attempts to pass laws targeting alleged foreign agents.
Dmitri Sytyi, a representative of the Russian mission in the CAR, dismissed the allegations as vague and lacking concrete evidence, stating, “Yes, I heard about [the report] in the news… But there are no concrete facts in it.”r>Anthropic’s investigation extends beyond the CAR, identifying similar AI-driven influence operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Sudan, and Mali.
In the DRC, the company identified 318 articles published by approximately 70 fake news sites and distributed by over 250 fictitious X accounts, all supporting the Congolese government’s stance amid conflict with Rwanda. In Kenya, Claude was allegedly used to generate batches of 50 pro-government messages hostile toward the opposition. Reports from Sudan indicate AI was used to create fabricated witness statements for the United Nations, an operation attributed to individuals linked to the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, in Mali, an adviser with intelligence ties reportedly used Claude to build a surveillance platform targeting 25 million SIM cards to bypass judicial authorization requirements.
Anthropic stated that it detected and shut down these operations between December 2025 and August 2026, primarily by deleting associated accounts and enhancing its detection systems. Russia has firmly denied all allegations outlined in the report.
This surveillance of 25 million SIM cards in Mali is terrifying. Authoritarians are definitely leaning hard into technology to silence dissent.
How do we verify these AI-generated ‘operations’ now? If they can fabricate witness statements, what else is digitally altered out there?
Dismissing it as ‘vague’ without providing counter-evidence seems like a standard deflection. The 318 fake sites in DRC are hard to ignore.
Sudan using AI to forge UN witness statements? That crosses a huge line. The international community needs to take this seriously.
Kenya and DRC getting mentioned alongside CAR really shows this isn’t an isolated incident but a regional strategy by foreign actors.
It’s chilling that AI can now be weaponized for surveillance on such a massive scale. We need stronger global regulations immediately.