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YouTube Removes Thousands of Propaganda Channels Linked to Russia, China and Other Countries
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Google revealed on July 21 that it had removed nearly 11,000 YouTube channels and accounts tied to state-backed propaganda campaigns from China, Russia, and other countries in the second quarter of 2025, as was reported on July 22.
Google removed more than 2,000 channels tied to Russia. These Russian-backed campaigns spanned multiple languages and were aimed at supporting Russia while attacking Ukraine, NATO, and the West.
This content aimed to push pro-Russian narratives, particularly targeting Ukraine’s sovereignty and its alliances with Western countries.
As part of this broader takedown, Google also removed 20 YouTube channels, four Ads accounts, and a Blogger blog linked to RT, the Russian state-controlled media outlet.
RT had been accused of paying prominent conservative influencers, including Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, and Benny Johnson, to produce content for Tenent Media. The Tennessee-based company was involved in spreading disinformation ahead of the 2024 US elections.
Over 7,700 were also linked to China. These campaigns predominantly shared content in both Chinese and English that promoted the People’s Republic of China, supported President Xi Jinping, and discussed US foreign policy, CNBC claims.
The targeted disinformation also spanned topics on global governance, with a particular focus on the US, often framing China in a favorable light while criticizing Western policies.
The active removal of these accounts is part of the Google Threat Analysis Group’s work to counter global disinformation campaigns, which include coordinated influence operations conducted by foreign actors.
In addition to China and Russia, influence campaigns linked to Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Romania, and Ghana were also identified and taken down in this report. Some of these campaigns focused on political rivals and geopolitical conflicts, including narratives surrounding the Israel-Palestine war.
A YouTube spokesperson commented, “The findings from the most recent update are in line with our expectations of this regular and ongoing work.”
Earlier this year, in the first quarter, Google took down over 23,000 accounts linked to such disinformation activities, CNBC reports.
Meanwhile, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, reported removing about 10 million profiles in the first half of 2025 for impersonating large content producers in an effort to combat “spammy content.”
Previously, it was stated that European law enforcement agencies have uncovered and dismantled a pro-Russian hacker network responsible for attacking critical EU infrastructure.
