A Russia-based influence operation used AI-enabled planning and spoofed communications to target schools in Peru and Ecuador, with the aim of creating events that could inflame local tensions. According to OpenAI, operators posed as education authorities and orchestrated a “National Day of Cultural and Linguistic Diversity” on 21 May, featuring three Ukrainian political figures in school activities.
The endeavour extended to Ecuador, where some institutions were induced to hold ceremonies supporting President Daniel Noboa and Erik Prince. The operation’s “false front” model relied on together with traditional disinformation tactics to place content and events in front of school administrators and local media.
OpenAI’s analysis notes that the attackers employed an AI-assisted workflow, including internal reporting and content creation, to scale and refine their campaigns. The initiative reportedly involved a group linked to the so‑called Politology/La Compania entity and was associated with broader aims of complicating Ukraine’s relations with other nations.
Evidence cited includes a Peruvian Ministry of Education letter acknowledging the directive and confirming that Ukrainian embassies flagged the fraud; Ecuadorian officials also reacted to the events. While some claims could not be corroborated, OpenAI’s researchers said the operation demonstrated how AI can improve translation, role-playing, and workflow, without introducing fundamentally new attack methods.
In the broader regional context, the piece emphasises Latin America as a theatre for influence operations by major powers, with Russia’s activity framed as aimed at sowing political division and complicating crisis messaging.