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The pro-Kremlin bot network known as “Matryoshka” has used the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro as part of an attempt to undermine the approval ratings of several democratic leaders, according to the watchdog Bot Blocker project (@antibot4navalny), which revealed its findings to The Insider.
One scenario promoted by the bots involves the possible abduction of European heads of state using a method similar to the operation that was carried out against Maduro. A fabricated video purporting to come from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) claims that “almost any European leader could be kidnapped using the same method that was used to detain Nicolás Maduro.” It cites as possible targets Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“To do this, it would suffice to bribe members of the security services, whose funding has been significantly reduced due to internal problems in European countries. Security services are simply unable to protect the top leadership of countries,” the video says.
Another video, also falsely attributed to the ISW, claims that European politicians are allegedly planning “provocations” on their own territory that they intend to blame on Russia. The bot network again refers to the capture of the Venezuelan leader, arguing that the U.S. operation demonstrated a “policy of double standards” and “significantly complicates the work of European propaganda aimed at demonizing Russia.”
Matryoshka has also circulated claims that the U.S. operation in Venezuela caused European politicians’ approval ratings to “plummet.” In a video made to appear as if it came from Politico, the bot network claims the abduction of Venezuela’s president “destroyed the strategy that the European Union had been pursuing for three years.”
“This refers to rhetoric centered on the impossibility of invading other countries against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Experts say that Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela not only got Maduro kicked out of office, but also ruined the reputation of European politicians who didn’t speak out against the operation in Venezuela,” the video says.
Another narrative promoted by the bot network focuses on Armenia. Several videos claim that protests are taking place in European countries demanding that the U.S. repeat the Venezuela operation against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The Insider has previously covered Matryoshka’s campaigns targeting the Armenian PM. In one video, presented as coming from the celebrity news outlet E! Online, the bots claim that U.S. singer Cher (who has Armenian roots) called for the abduction of Pashinyan.
Another video alleges that Armenian diaspora groups across Europe are holding protests outside U.S. embassies, calling on American authorities to arrest Pashinyan. In a similar clip posted under the Euronews brand, the bot network argues that such protests could have “a really negative impact on Pashinyan’s ratings” ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for September.
“Helping Maduro appears to be less important than any of the following: influencing Armenia’s upcoming elections, undermining the ‘coalition of the willing,’ or weakening trust in European leaders — at least in the priority system of the specific operator behind Matryoshka,” the Bot Blocker project told The Insider.
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.
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.