Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. MEMBERS of Parliament have raised alarm over the growing threat of fake news, warning that it is distorting public policy and undermining democratic processes.
This follows an international outcry over the rise in cases of fake news across the globe.
The United Kingdom recently sanctioned the “Ae”, a Russian organisation operating as a news agency and three of its leaders for their roles in a hybrid influence campaign across Africa.frican Initiativ
The United Kingdom (UK) sanctions, implemented on July 18, 2025, follow a report published in June by VIGINUM, the French government’s watchdog against foreign information manipulation, in partnership with the UK Foreign Office and the European Union External Action Service.
Opposition Luveve lawmaker Descent Bajila admitted that fake news were a cause for concern, particularly in the digital age where misinformation spreads rapidly.
“In this digital age, there is a lot of fake news that is moving around. At times it distorts public policy. At times it distorts information about implementation of key development processes and programmes,” he said.
“It’s very important for us as public representatives to appreciate the state at which this information is at now, the speed at which it is growing and develop our own tools and systems and knowledge that we can use to dispel fake news as soon as it is out.”
He added: “While it is very difficult to pace up with patterns. It is important to continuously make the effort to set the record straight, to find out the truth and use the truth to dispel fake news.”
Senator Ritah Ndlovu also highlighted that the spread of false information is damaging to democracy.
“Fake news, disinformation and misinformation is eroding our democracy and is a cancer that must be stopped, forth with,” Ndlovu said.
“We are also encouraging all the media, the regulatory authorities, to make sure that they do their role, oversight role, that only credible journalists are media practitioners.”
In the VIGINUM report, investigators revealed that the African Initiative is not an independent news outlet, but a front for Russian intelligence operations and digital disinformation strategies.
The 40-page report, titled African Initiative: Anatomy of a State-Controlled Influence Operation, laid bare the Initiative’s tactics, ranging from artificial intelligence (AI)-driven fake media to grassroots infiltration via local non-governmental organisations (NGO).
VIGINUM called for greater co-ordination among African media regulators, civil society groups and international watchdogs to counter what it described as a “long-term soft power war” unfolding beneath the radar.
A member of the parliamentary committee on media, Desire Moyo, said there was a need to guide against fake news to protect democracy.
“Worse still , in the Zimbabwean context of factions in all existing political parties, alongside economic decay and social disintegration, the misinformation and disinformation has become a catalyst for the fast paced political degeneration,” Moyo told NewsDay Weekender in an interview.
“Democracy thrives on truth. My office remains a source for constituents seeking reliable information.”
Established in Moscow in September 2023, the African Initiative is suspected of being a front for Russian intelligence services combining overt public diplomacy with covert information manipulation to exploit discontent and exacerbate divides.
It also promotes the “Africa Corps”, the successor to the Wagner Group.
African Initiative individuals sanctioned by the UK are all linked to “Project Lakhta”, a digital influence operation founded by the late Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
One of the sanctioned individuals is Artyom Kureyev, the Editor-in-Chief of the African Initiative.
Another sanctioned individual is Viktor Lukovenko, who is identified as a liaison officer for the African Initiative’s local offices and a contributor of articles to its website.
Lukovenko, who is linked to the Russian Military Intelligence (GRU), was previously convicted in Russia for a racially motivated murder.
In April 2025, he was arrested in Kyrgyzstan on suspicion of recruiting mercenaries.
Also sanctioned is Anna Zamareyeva, the Deputy Editor-in-Chief.
She was previously a spokesperson for the PMC Wagner Centre from 2022 to 2023.
The report also details the group’s tactics, which extend beyond its news agency function.
The African Initiative maintains a network of local NGOs in countries like Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, which are facilitated by local employees to amplify pro-Russian and anti-Western narratives.
It also establishes long-term influence by developing community relationships through sporting, cultural, and health events.
One of its key tools is “Al-Freak”, an information manipulation set (IMS) that uses deceptive, AI-generated content on pseudo-media websites.
This content, which can be in the form of images, text and video, is then amplified through inauthentic X accounts and other methods.
Investigators also identified a sophisticated information manipulation system called “AI-Freak”, which uses AI-generated content to fake images, text and videos across multiple pseudo-media sites.
Evidence of Russian involvement includes Russian language settings and Cyrillic script in the back-end code of these sites.
The group has also launched a mobile social app called “AFree” as an alternative to Western platforms.
The app has been heavily promoted in Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon and Morocco.
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