OpenAI banned a cluster of Chat GPT accounts originating in Russia that were used to promote a fake Israel-based think tank and a "sovereignty" index praising Russia and criticizing the West. The operation involved generating social media comments on platforms like X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Substack, and Telegram using AI to hide linguistic clues of Russian origin. Operators used VPNs to bypass access restrictions.

The campaign centered on the International Burke Institute (IBI), a website registered in February 2025 claiming to be based in Israel, which hosted copied and misattributed academic content. The "sovereignty index" was a novel element designed to favor Russia and denigrate Western nations. Though the audience reach appeared small, the campaign's elaborate construction—including machine-translated Slavic phrasing like "Svetofor coalition" instead of "traffic-light coalition"—distinguished it from prior Russia-linked influence operations disrupted since the Ukraine war began.

OpenAI identified and banned the accounts, disrupting what it calls a new and previously unreported covert influence effort.