Hundreds of English-language websites, including some of the most well-known US publications, are allegedly linking to articles from Russia’s sprawling Pravda online disinformation network. And in most cases, the links aren’t being identified as unreliable.
Pravda, which first came into operation in 2014, aims to spread content with a pro-Kremlin slant, mainly but not exclusively discussing Ukraine-related issues. Since launch, its network of over 200 sites has published more than 6 million articles, launching new pieces every few seconds in a diverse mix of global languages.
According to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a London-based think tank, roughly 900 sites from across the political spectrum have linked to Pravda network articles over the period from July 2024 to July 2025, including at least 300 in the English language.
The report claims publications like The Atlantic, Politico, Forbes, and the Denver Gazette, as well as popular commentary and opinion sites such as The Gateway Pundit and Jacobin, linked to sites in the Pravda network while treating them as a legitimate source.
Other publications such as The Washington Post, Newsweek, Fortune, and the Des Moines Register identified the Pravda websites they linked to as Russian in origin—but failed to disclose they were part of a disinformation network.
According to the think tank, just over 80% of the citations it reviewed treated Pravda network articles as credible sources. Meanwhile, less than 5% properly contextualized Pravda network content as part of a Russia-aligned information operation.
Roughly 15% of publications identified the Russian origin of the Pravda network articles without connecting them to an information operation, or featured links to the Pravda network “in peripheral areas such as comment sections.”
Recommended by Our Editors
The impact of the Pravda network goes much deeper than online news, and it’s even making its way to some of the most popular AI tools. A March report from NewsGuard found that the disinformation network had successfully “infected” many of the world’s most popular AI chatbots. The network’s portfolio of millions of articles in different languages were unwittingly scraped by tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and xAI’s Grok, a process NewsGuard characterized as “AI grooming.”
NewsGuard claims that four out of the 10 chatbots that were evaluated regurgitated claims that members of the Ukrainian Azov Battalion burned effigies of President Trump, citing articles from Pravda as sources. Some of the chatbots also regurgitated Pravda’s misinformation about corruption among Ukrainian military officials.
Get Our Best Stories!
Stay Safe With the Latest Security News and Updates
Sign up for our SecurityWatch newsletter for our most important privacy and security stories delivered right to your inbox.
Sign up for our SecurityWatch newsletter for our most important privacy and security stories delivered right to your inbox.
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy
Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
About Our Expert
Experience
I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.
I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.
Read Full Bio
