• Facebook pages like Fios Vinks and Fiosl Liesi claim to share coverage of the war in Ukraine but instead spread large amounts of misinformation using clickbait headlines and stolen video.

• These pages copy content from other platforms, manufacture urgency and invent compelling claims to drive up views.

• The pages appear to be connected, pushing viewers to affiliated Facebook groups managed by a single anonymous account. Experts suggest that money is the likely motive.

Twin Facebook pages advertise themselves as providing newsy and up-to-the-minute coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine. But on a given day, their followers might see videos claiming Norwegians raided Russian ships, Vladimir Putin was defeated on "all fronts," or that a single British ship blocked a Russian fleet.

None of those headlines are true. But that doesn’t stop the pages Fios Vinks and Fiosl Liesi from earning clicks, views and a monetizable following through false reporting on the war.

The behavior of these obscure pages with their difficult-to-decipher names offers a case study of organized misinformation in one of its cheapest forms. Combined, these pages distribute dozens of videos a day — many plucked from YouTube and paired with sensational headlines — that aim to funnel viewers into larger Facebook groups that could be sold to buyers seeking large social media audiences. The pages appear to be part of a larger network and managed by a single, anonymous account. Their campaigns spread fast,...

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