VASILIEV/VI Timofey Vladimirovich

He is one of the key figures in the russian propaganda system aimed at justifying aggression against Ukraine and misinforming the international community, as well as an active participant in the russian federation's systemic information war against Ukraine. His activities are aimed at undermining the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of the Ukrainian state through disinformation campaigns, legalization of russian aggression and manipulation of public opinion both in russia and abroad.
He is the head of the strategic management department of the autonomous non-profit organization Dialogue, established by the Moscow Department of Information Technology in 2019 and closely linked to the presidential administration. The organization develops digital tools for controlling the information space, including social media monitoring, targeted advertising, and crisis communications, and coordinates the activities of regional management centers and projects in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
Vasiliev is the founder and administrator of the War on Fakes project, which is positioned as a fact-checking resource but actually acts as a tool for spreading disinformation and pro-russian narratives. The project was launched on February 23, 2022 - on the eve of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine - and quickly gained popularity, gaining more than 500,000 followers on Telegram in the first week. The content of War on Fakes is actively promoted through the official channels of russian government agencies, including the ministry of defense and the ministry of foreign affairs, as well as through embassies and controlled media.
Vasiliev was notable for his participation in disinformation campaigns, including Operation Doppelgänger. This campaign involved the creation of fake news sites that imitated Western media and the spread of disinformation about the war against Ukraine. According to the French news agency VIGINUM, the domain waronfakes.com was registered in the name of Vasiliev, which indicates his direct involvement in these information operations.
Investigations by the British company Logically and publications in Time magazine confirmed that Vasiliev was behind the project. Using a format similar to Western fact-checking platforms, it creates the illusion of objectivity by presenting russian propaganda as allegedly verified information. In particular, War on Fakes systematically denies russian war crimes, accuses Ukraine of aggression and spreads fictionalized versions of events at the front. In addition, Vasiliev hosts the "Fake Control" section on the state-owned "rossiya-1" TV channel, which strengthens his presence in the media space.
In addition, Vasiliev actively positions himself as an expert in the field of disinformation, participating in conferences and public events where he systematically promotes kremlin narratives. In 2025, he became the chief expert of the newly created Global Fact-Checking Association (GFCN), which was founded with the participation of Dialogue and the TASS news agency. The association's activities are limited to the dissemination of pro-russian "analytical" materials under the guise of fact-checking.