WASHINGTON — Banned from the 2024 Olympics over the war in Ukraine, Russia has mounted a secret influence campaign seeking to discredit the Games and sow fears of terrorism, according to a new report from Microsoft’s threat intelligence unit.

The report identifies “prolific Russian influence actors” who began focusing last summer on disparaging the 2024 Olympic Games and French President Emmanuel Macron. Their tactics included posting a bogus documentary featuring a deepfake of actor Tom Cruise.

Objectives of the Influence Campaign

“These ongoing Russian influence operations have two central objectives: to denigrate the reputation of the [International Olympic Committee] on the world stage; and to create the expectation of violence breaking out in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games,” the report says.

“Russia has a decades-long history of undermining the Olympics, but for the Paris Games, we’ve observed this old playbook has been updated with new generative AI tactics,” said Clint Watts, a former FBI agent who directed the study. “They want to scare spectators from attending the Games for fear of physical violence breaking out.”

Capitalizing on Global Conflicts

The Russian campaign has also sought to exploit the Israel-Hamas war by impersonating militants and fabricating threats against Israelis attending the 2024 Games. Some images referenced the 1972 Munich Olympics attacks, where an affiliate of the Palestine Liberation Organization killed 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team and a West German police officer.

Fake Documentary and AI-Generated Content

A fake documentary titled “Olympics Has Fallen,” designed to resemble a Netflix production, was posted online last summer. It used AI-generated audio resembling Cruise’s voice and attached sham five-star reviews from major media outlets. Although YouTube took it down at the International Olympic Committee’s request, it remains available on Telegram, Microsoft says.

Fabricated News Reports

The Russian campaign produced videos mimicking news reports that suggested credible threats of violence at the Paris Games. One video, spoofing media outlet Euronews, falsely claimed that Parisians were buying property insurance in anticipation of terrorism. Another fake news clip impersonating French broadcaster France 24 falsely claimed that 24% of purchased tickets for Olympic events had been returned due to terrorism fears.

A third effort included a fake video news release from the CIA and France’s main intelligence agency, warning potential attendees to avoid the 2024 Olympics due to alleged terror risks.

Historical Context and Recent Developments

Microsoft notes that Russia, like the Soviet Union before it, has a long history of attacking the Olympics. The Soviet Union boycotted the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles and tried to influence other countries to do the same, distributing leaflets claiming nonwhite competitors would be targeted by American extremists.

In 2017, the IOC banned Russia from the 2018 Winter Games after uncovering widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs by Russian athletes. The current ban is due to the war in Ukraine, allowing qualifying athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete only as “individual neutral athletes” without their national flags.

Ongoing Influence Campaign

The report states that Russia’s online influence campaign intensified following the ban. Microsoft identified various tactics and misinformation efforts aimed at undermining the integrity and safety of the Paris Olympics.

The Russian Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This detailed account underscores the complex geopolitical maneuvers and misinformation strategies employed by state actors to influence global events and public perception.