Russia Willing To Pay TikTok Influencers To Spread Invasion-Related Propaganda

Russia is a TikTok influencer. (photo: May Gauthier / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Russia has become increasingly serious about its invasion of Ukraine. Recent reports suggest the country is paying for TikTok influencers. They were tasked with distributing videos promoting Russian President Vladimir Putin's narrative around the invasion, called special operations.

Through a channel on Telegram, an anonymous operator has the role of telling the creator what content and when to post the video. then, what targets they must meet, and otherwise dictate their content.

Some influencers are known to have more than a million followers, of whom have posted videos using the same hashtags or audio tracks.

It is not clear who is behind the campaign. But the operator claims to be a journalist and has been looking for posters for additional pro-government content, such as supporting Russian athletes at the Olympics, and private companies.

The Telegram channel that coordinated the campaign was founded late last year, and has amassed more than 500 members.

However, TikTok's ban on new videos from Russia doesn't seem to be a problem. The anonymous operator tells influencers how to circumvent the ban. Now at least some of them have posted videos after the ban took effect.

First reported by Vice International compiled from Engadget, Saturday, March 12, the Telegram channel was suddenly closed on March 9 when an investigation was carried out by Vice International.

Most of the videos have also been removed, and it is uncertain how many similar campaigns may be ongoing, as well as whether the propaganda is effective.

TikTok has not commented on the pro-Kremlin campaign and has notified its general efforts to spot emerging threats and dangerous misinformation surrounding Russia's war against Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the amount of money paid to influencers was also not disclosed on the Telegram channel. However, when registering, users are asked to state the price, and only the most profitable are selected.

Estimated payouts range from 2,000 rubles to 20,000 rubles ($17) per upload. “As far as I know, they pay very little, up to 20,000 rubles. The requirement is to quickly post videos in one day. This task is assigned to a group on Telegram," explained one Russian TikTok influencer who did not wish to be named.