: Meet the Lithuanian ‘Elves’ Fighting Russian Disinformation #WorldNEWS On the day that Russia began its expanded invasion of Ukraine, Henrikas Savickis was preparing to open a new play. An actor

Meet the Lithuanian ‘Elves’ Fighting Russian Disinformation #WorldNEWS
On the day that Russia began its expanded invasion of Ukraine, Henrikas Savickis was preparing to open a new play. An actor at the National Theater in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas, the 51-year-old was caught up in dress rehearsals, but still managed to squeeze in a small contribution to the fight against Russia. After logging on to a private Facebook group seemingly devoted to Yorkshire puppies, he took up his weapon of choice—the keyboard—and began correcting and reporting the lies he saw.
The Yorkshire puppies are a cover for a large, informal community of Lithuanian citizens who, for the past eight years, have been engaged in an ongoing battle against the Russian disinformation that regularly floods Lithuanian media, social and otherwise. The groups members number in the thousands, and although most keep their identities secret, they include bartenders, doctors, students, businesspeople, and at least one member of the Lithuanian parliament. And although they go by the whimsical name of “elves,” they are a serious part of a broader coalition across different levels of society that have made Lithuania a leader in that other war against Russia: the information war.
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Read More: How Putin Is Losing at His Own Disinformation Game in Ukraine
They got their name, says their founder Ricardas Savukynas, “because elves fight trolls. ” Working alone, and meeting only in the virtual space of Facebook groups, they jump into action whenever one member identifies a piece of fake news or a number of fake accounts that seem to be the clear product of Russian troll farms. By reporting the disinformation en masse to the platform they eventually generate enough complaints to have it removed by Facebook. (Facebook did not reply to TIMEs request for comment by the time of publication. )
And for all its simplicity, the method has proven effective enough that Lithuania’s Ministry of Defense has recommended it as an alternative to young men eager to join the fight to defend Ukraine but who lack the military experience necessary to do so, according to two who spoke to TIME.

Tadas Kazakeviius for TIMEBlogger and elf Riardas Savukynas works to counter fake news during dinner at one of his favorite restaurants in Vilnius on March 1.
The world has awoken in the last few years to the threat of Kremlin-backed fake news and disinformation. From the manipulation of elections in the United States, to the spread of anti-vax conspiracies during the pandemic, to the casting of the Ukraine war as a “special military option” designed to “liberate” the country, it has become increasingly clear just how eager the Putin regime is to spread distorted facts, lies, and propaganda in its attempts to destabilize Western nations, secure the loyalty of its own citizens, and further its expansionist ambitions.