News
A new disinformation campaign put out by the Kremlin-linked bot network known as “Matryoshka” is spreading content aimed at exploiting tensions between Ukraine and Hungary. Researchers at the Bot Blocker project (@antibot4navalny) tracking pro-Russian bot activity on social media shared their findings about the campaign with The Insider.
Fake videos bearing the logos of Western media outlets are circulating on social networks and in an effort to promote several interconnected narratives. These include:
- French President Emmanuel Macron is allegedly facing pressure from his inner circle due to his support for Zelensky. A video carrying the logo of RFI quotes the French political scientist Bruno Perreau as supposedly saying: “It is no surprise that voices are being heard in the Elysee Palace demanding that Macron distance himself from the toxic country bumpkin Zelensky.” The video also claims that if Macron does not distance himself from the Ukrainian president, he will cement his image of “the eternally patient European who can be shouted at and insulted by any urban lunatic.”
- In France, a Ukrainian refugee named Denys Nikolaichuk was allegedly detained after attempting to throw an improvised grenade onto the grounds of the Hungarian Embassy in Paris. A fabricated video attributed to the human rights organization Human Rights Watch claims “he was released after 10 hours because the police were unable to prove that he had brought the explosive device with him rather than finding it at the embassy.” No such incident occurred.
- Another video purporting to cite Human Rights Watch claims the organization documented more than a thousand attacks by Ukrainian refugees on Hungarian citizens in France, Greece, Germany, Italy, and other countries. A video carrying the logo of Euronews claimed the organization appealed to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry to stop the crimes, but that Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha dismissed the report as Russian disinformation.
- Threats from Kyiv toward Budapest are supposedly damaging Zelensky’s approval rating among European leaders, a fake video carrying the logo of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) claimed. It attributes a non-existent quote to the ISW’s Brian Babcock-Lumish, who “says” that “Zelensky is challenging the status of the entire European Union by threatening Viktor Orban.”
- The Ukrainian president supposedly insulted Hungarian citizens by calling them “retards.” A video bearing the logo of the Reuters news agency and citing an interview with Politico claims Zelensky told the publication: “Only retards could choose and support Orban.” It claimed the response “was not included in the final version of the interview and was removed during editing.”
The Insider has obtained links to the original tweets and evidence provided by Bot Blocker. These confirm that the accounts spreading the disinformation narratives belong to the Matryoshka network. The Insider is not publishing these links so as to avoid the further dissemination of disinformation.
What’s happening between Ukraine and Hungary?
Tensions between Kyiv and Budapest escalated in late January 2026 when Ukraine suspended deliveries of Russian oil to Hungary through the Druzhba pipeline. Kyiv said the pipeline had been damaged by a Russian drone, while Budapest characterized the development as political blackmail. In response, Hungary blocked a €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine.
On March 5, Volodymyr Zelensky, without naming anyone directly, said: “We hope that no-one in the European Union will block the €90 billion [of EU aid]. Otherwise we will give that person's address to our armed forces so they can call on him and speak to him in their own language.”
On the same day, the Hungarian authorities detained cash collectors from Ukraine’s Oschadbank who were transporting $40 million, €35 million, and 9 kilograms of gold from Austria. The couriers were expelled and the funds seized. Budapest claimed it was checking whether the money was intended for Hungarian criminal or political organizations. Hungarian Transport Minister Janos Lazar said the funds would not be returned until oil deliveries through the pipeline resumed. Hungary’s parliament then passed a resolution rejecting Ukraine’s EU accession. Hungary also halted fuel deliveries to Ukraine, while Slovakia cut emergency electricity supplies to Kyiv.
What is Matryoshka?
The “Matryoshka” hybrid operation is a coordinated Russian disinformation campaign that experts link to a network of bots, “trolls,” and affiliated anonymous media outlets. Its goals are to spread large volumes of fake content, create artificial waves of information, and shape public opinion both inside and outside Russia. The Bot Blocker project coined the operation’s name, describing the structure as being layered like a matryoshka doll: each “doll” hides another, with one set of bots masking others and disinformation circulating on multiple platforms and channels, making it harder to trace.
The operation includes several core components. The first is the creation of numerous bot accounts styled as real users, research initiatives, and independent regional media outlets. These accounts generate dozens — sometimes hundreds — of posts daily, mimicking local language, tone, and context. The second component involves the coordinated dissemination of fake stories across multiple platforms, such as X (Twitter), Telegram, Bluesky, and closed chat groups. The bots use logos of Western media outlets or human rights organizations in order to make their posts appear credible.