This week in Cyfluence: Russia weaponizes grief with AI-generated "ghost" soldiers, China uses chatbots for espionage, and coordinated disinformation campaigns target democratic processes and alliances globally. Our weekly review breaks down the latest in hostile cyber influence.

A September 3 data leak exposed internal files of pro-Russian Moldovan politician Ilan Shor and his “Victorie Bloc,” revealing a financed influence network linked to Russia. The leak, paired with targeted intimidation messages, severely disrupted the group. Analysts view it as a coordinated “Cyfluence Counteroperation” that effectively neutralized and delegitimized Shor’s organization just before Moldova’s elections.

During the last week we observed, collected and analyzed endpoints of information related to cyber-based hostile influence campaigns (including Cyfluence attacks). This weeks report is a summary of what we regard as the main events.

West Africa’s Sahel has become a key cognitive battlefield. Its information space provides fertile ground for narrative warfare, a unique environment defined by a complex hybridity where traditional oral storytellers are reborn as digital influencers on platforms like TikTok. This fragile ecosystem is also a crowded arena for global actors like Russia, Turkey, and China competing to fill the strategic vacuum left by the departure of France and other western powers.

During the 22nd to the 28th of September 2025, we observed, collected, and analyzed endpoints of information related to these campaigns. The following report is a summary of what we regard as the main events from this period.

The Czech parliamentary elections on 3–4 October 2025 face heavy digital interference. Russia and increasingly China exploit Telegram networks, disinformation portals, and fake TikTok accounts to spread distrust, voter apathy, and anti-Western narratives. According to CERA, the main risks are erosion of democratic trust, voter demobilization, and the strengthening of populist and pro-Russian forces.