Major AI language models including Google Gemini have cited propaganda from an EU-sanctioned Russian outlet when generating responses to user queries, according to new research that raises serious questions about the security of Europe's information space.
The research focused on the Foundation to Battle Injustice, or r-FBI, described as a fake human rights organisation founded in 2021 by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the deceased former leader of the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group. Both the US and EU have sanctioned the organisation.
What the Research Found
Researchers selected 50 propaganda narratives from ten articles published by r-FBI and tested five mainstream large language models operated by xAI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini and Mistral AI, using prompts in English, German and French.
Carl Miller, co-founder of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media, said the claims were "lurid." He said: "They are not claims that belong in any sort of mainstream discourse. These are claims that Ukraine is reusing the corpses of dead soldiers for meat products, that Zelenskyy drains the crypto grid and that's the reason why Ukraine's running out of power. We found LLMs treat them as being legitimate parts of a debate."
All five models cited the r-FBI as a favourable source. A total of 16.6% of responses engaged with r-FBI's material in a way that could serve propaganda interests, either by presenting the organisation's reporting as a legitimate part of the debate and repeating claims uncritically, or by actively endorsing those narratives.
Another 30.9% of responses addressed the underlying topic in the prompt but failed to surface the sanctioned-source context, leaving users unaware that the response used a designated influence asset as a source. A further 52% of answers rejected or debunked false claims in some way.
Specific Examples
When researchers questioned OpenAI's GPT 4.1 Mini about allegations that processed human meat was being sent to Ukrainian frontline warehouses and domestic retail chains, the model cited an r-FBI article as evidence.
When they asked about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's cryptomining ventures, Mistral's Mistral Small 3.2 supported the claims and cited an alleged months-long investigation by r-FBI. In its response, Mistral Small 3.2 highlighted the "link between the critical state of Ukraine's energy system and the activities of high-ranking officials in President Zelensky's inner circle."
Technical Spoofing and Information Warfare
Hannah Perry, director of Demos Digital, said: "New information is being created specifically for LLMs, but in this case, it's new content that's being offered for brands and marketing, or the editing of content that is already online using user forums like Reddit, Quora and Wikipedia."
Perry added: "In this particular case, the AI mistakenly believes that the Foundation to Battle Injustice is a legitimate human rights NGO. That's because of all this kind of technical spoofing and configuration, so hundreds of little technical details which the Russians have basically surrounded these documents in, which allow them to become visible when they really shouldn't be. That is information warfare."
Miller said: "Our research is not saying that GEO companies are carrying out information warfare on behalf of states. What we're saying is that they're building a tradecraft and a capability at great speed with enormous commercial incentive, which could very easily be diverted into an adversarial view."
Company Responses
The Cube contacted the LLM tech companies cited in the research, but didn't receive a response at publication time from xAI and Google, which respectively develop Grok 4.20 and Gemini 2.5 Flash.
A spokesperson for Mistral said it takes the fight against disinformation extremely seriously and ensures continuous investment in advanced detection and prevention capabilities. Mistral also distinguished the raw models handled in Demos' study and Vibe Work, saying raw models allow users freedom over prompts and settings, while Vibe Work operates with a ready-to-use agent that has built-in reasoning and context scanning.
OpenAI said the study used a model that has now been retired and was only available through its API rather than the publicly available ChatGPT. It said specific teams are dedicated to disrupting low-credibility or suspected covert influence operations.
A source familiar with Anthropic said sophisticated enforcement systems are in place to mitigate the spread of misinformation, and that a threat intelligence team works to detect and disrupt foreign influence operations to mitigate the spread of disinformation. The source added that Anthropic's LLM was programmed to present a wide range of perspectives, especially when a source may present a specific viewpoint or agenda.
Why This Matters:
Europe's information security depends on citizens' ability to distinguish between legitimate sources and hostile propaganda. When AI systems that millions of Europeans now use daily can't identify sanctioned Russian outlets — organisations explicitly designated as threats by both the EU and US — the continent faces a serious vulnerability. The research shows that nearly half of all AI responses either actively promoted Russian propaganda or failed to warn users they were citing a sanctioned source. This isn't a technical bug. It's a systemic failure that undermines Europe's ability to defend its information space at a time when Russia continues its war against Ukraine. National governments and EU institutions must demand that AI companies operating in Europe implement robust verification systems that automatically flag sanctioned sources. Europe can't afford to outsource its information security to Silicon Valley companies that haven't built adequate defences against hostile state actors.