Fake Immortal Regiment Campaign in Kazakhstan: Who's Behind The Disinformation?

The Immortal Regiment march will be held this year in Semey, but whether it will also be held in other cities of Kazakhstan remains unclear. Meanwhile, fake news and deepfakes have fuelled quite the commotion around it, impacting government officials and journalists, including Orda.kz editor-in-chief Gulnar Bazhkenova.

On April 18, as we investigated whether the Immortal Regiment event would be organized in various Kazakh cities, fake news had already begun to spread.

The first target was North Kazakhstan Region Akim Gauez Nurmukhambetov, whose deepfake video appeared online, falsely calling for participation in the march. Shortly after, a similar deepfake surfaced using the image of Qosnatay Region Akim Kumar Aksakalov.

After that, fake announcements about the Immortal Regiment began circulating more widely. Deepfakes involving not only Akims but also Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov appeared online. More recently, journalists have also become targets.

For example, journalist Asem Zhapisheva shared a video on her Telegram channel featuring a deepfake of herself that had been posted online.

Meanwhile, Orda.kz editor-in-chief Gulnar Bazhkenova, Shyndyk.kz editor Gaziza Raimbek, and journalists Vadim Boreiko and Dinara Satzhan were targeted differently: their phone numbers were listed in fake messages circulating on messenger apps, calling people to join the Immortal Regiment march.

In Gaziza Raimbek’s case, messages spreading the fakes claimed participants would be paid for joining the march.

People started calling and messaging me, asking, 'Are you organizing the Immortal Regiment? I have my grandfather's portrait.' The calls didn’t stop." I had to tell everyone I wasn't involved, but my number was included in these fake announcements circulating across Astana chats. I reported the situation to the police, stating that I had nothing to do with it. And eventually, I had to change my phone number because the calls kept coming. It was unpleasant, but I consider myself lucky compared to others.Raimbek told an Orda.kz journalist.  

A fake news article, meant to look as if it was published on Gaziza's website, also surfaced.

The organizers' identities remain unclear, and opinions differ.

Journalist Asem Zhapisheva expressed confidence that the operation originated from Russia.

Russian propaganda seems completely desperate — nobody wants to join their show anymore,she wrote in a post. 

Orda.kz also sought views from the other side.

Pro-Russian blogger Anastasiya Akhmetova, who recently urged Kazakh authorities via Instagram to support the Immortal Regiment, believes otherwise. She claims that if the march is allowed, hundreds of thousands of Kazakhstanis would join voluntarily.

On the source of the fake attacks, Akhmetova said:

I think this could be the work of foreign agents, Western-funded NGOs. Rumors are circulating that authorities are threatening to arrest people who plan to attend the Immortal Regiment. Although, of course, there are no such threats. Authorities only recommended moving the event online due to possible provocations. And they create deepfakes too. There were also rumors that some Russians were willing to pay in rubles to those who would participate in the Immortal Regiment. Although 170 thousand people came out for this march voluntarily in 2019, Akhmetova told Orda.kz.

Asked if she believed the wave of fakes was an attack against her personally, Akhmetova said no. In her view, the campaign targets the broader supporters of the Immortal Regiment movement in Kazakhstan.

Gaziza Raimbek did not directly accuse anyone but suggested that the campaign was unlikely to have been organized within Kazakhstan.

This is definitely funded by someone — it requires serious money and resources. It’s not just someone fooling around. I hope our law enforcement agencies will investigate this and put an end to it,Raimbek said. 

She also emphasized the need for improved media literacy among the public to recognize fake news.

Clearer communication from authorities about the status of the Immortal Regiment could also have prevented confusion. For example, when Orda.kz published an article on April 18, the Almaty city administration promised to respond to the march "within a week." 

They replied today, stating they still have no information about whether the event will be held or in what format.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin