Bloomberg – no paywall: “Leaked files reveal the Social Design Agency’s efforts to control the information that underpins search engines and AI chatbots. Russian influence operators called it Project 2026. The plan wasn’t just to spread fabricated stories on social media platforms. It outlined efforts to create an alternative information ecosystem. Leaked documents from a private Russian agency reviewed by Bloomberg News reveal plans to build a sprawling network of Wikipedia-style reference sites, media outlets and phony think tanks to shape how people and AI chatbots understand political issues. The documents from the Social Design Agency (SDA), which has been Among the 73 leaked files are project proposals and screenshots of chats and websites dating from May 2023 to April 2026. Combined, they suggest Russian influence operators are expanding beyond spreading false stories on social media platforms to trying to control the sources of information that underpin search engines and large language models. Fact Investigation Platform, an Armenian media outlet focused on disinformation, first Internal planning papers outline an ambitious effort spanning multiple countries and languages to build websites controlled by the Kremlin. The endeavor is designed to capture search traffic and influence AI chatbots with false information about politicians and current events, the documents show…”