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US company report on protests: Driven primarily by anti-Trump American actors, amplified by Russian state-linked networks

Raporti i Blackbird AI bazohet në analizën e 879,067 postimeve në rrjetet sociale nga 222,854 autorë të ndryshëm, të cilat kanë gjeneruar rreth 3,2 milionë ndërveprime në katër platforma – Reddit, X, Telegram dhe TikTok – si dhe në media të ndryshme online. Kompania sjell si shembull një postim të publikuar më 2 qershor nga llogaria në X me emrin @Iranwarupdate, i cili, sipas raportit, u amplifikua brenda 20 minutash nga një rrjet llogarish që promovojnë narrativa në përputhje me interesat e shtetit rus.

2026-06-21 18:15:00, Politikë CNA

US company report on protests: Driven primarily by anti-Trump American actors,

The Albanian government has circulated in diplomatic circles a report by the American company Blackbird AI, which analyzes the spread of narratives against Kushner's project in Zvërnec on social networks and their possible amplification by coordinated actors.

Contrary to what the government has publicly stated, the report acknowledges that the grievances fueling the protest are "legitimate" and does not claim that the wave of rallies is instigated by foreign actors, but emphasizes that their echoes have been amplified on social platforms by American networks that oppose the Trump administration and by those linked to the Russian government.

"The bulk of the negative activity associated with the Kushner-Trump resort development occurred on Platform X, driven primarily by US-based actors affiliated with the anti-Trump camp and the Democratic Party, who exploited the issue to advance their political narratives and expand its resonance beyond domestic audiences," the report states.

"Subsequently, actors affiliated with the Russian state amplified these narratives, likely to deepen existing divisions and strengthen opposition to the project," the report adds.

Amplification by anti-Trump actors

Blackbird AI is a platform that analyzes narratives circulating on social networks, using artificial intelligence to identify threats and opportunities for government clients and private companies.

According to the company, the report it compiled aims to provide an overview of the conflicting narratives related to Jared Kushner's proposed $4 billion project in Zvërnec during the period May 22 - June 9, on the X platforms, Telegram, TikTok, Reddit and in online media.

The Blackbird AI report argues that the controversy surrounding the Kushner–Trump resort transformed from a local debate, tied to concerns about governance and the environment, into a high-profile international political issue, driven primarily by anti-Trump American actors and then amplified by networks linked to the Russian state.

According to the report, the dominant tone of the discussion was hostile to the project, with the main narratives initially targeting Kushner through conspiratorial, denigrating, and anti-Semitic rhetoric, before shifting focus to the Albanian government.

“Engagement on social media increased dramatically as influential anti-Trump actors amplified the debate,” Blackbird AI writes. “Their involvement expanded the issue beyond Albania and transformed it into a broader political clash around Trump, corruption allegations, Israel, and elite influence,” the report adds.

According to Blackbird AI, the volume of posts on social networks increased significantly on June 2–3 and again on June 6, as a result of the amplification of the debate by anti-Trump American figures, including Hunter Biden, the son of former US President Joe Biden, as well as by content published in the Albanian language on TikTok.

Foreign malignant influence

The Blackbird AI report is based on the analysis of 879,067 social media posts from 222,854 different authors, which generated around 3.2 million interactions across four platforms – Reddit, X, Telegram and TikTok – as well as various online media.

From this mass of hundreds of thousands of posts, Blackbird AI says it has identified seven posts or discussions amplified by the information ecosystem linked to the Russian government, including anonymous accounts that show signs of coordination.

The company cites as an example a post published on June 2 by the X account named @Iranwarupdate, which, according to the report, was amplified within 20 minutes by a network of accounts promoting narratives in line with Russian state interests.

According to the American company, although the message was formulated in neutral language, it was intended to incite suspicion and encourage the audience to question the motives behind the project. The post was followed by a wave of almost identical retweets, which created the impression of widespread public concern, although they originated from a centralized network of accounts. This amplification process, according to Blackbird AI, continued in several successive waves, keeping the narrative visible until June 4.

However, the report provides few details on the real impact these amplified discussions have had or on the extent of the influence of the actors who, according to the company, were spreading Russia-linked narratives.

Greek intervention?

One of the Albanian government's claims about the popular protests against Jared Kushner's project in Zvërnec has been that they were instigated by Greece, due to competition in the tourism sector between the two countries.

The Blackbird AI report analyzes Greek-language posts mentioning the project, but does not establish any connection between them and the protesters on the streets of Albania.

According to the report, Greek-language posts make up less than 1 percent of content identified as part of anti-resort narratives. Of these, the company claims that around 20 percent are distributed by accounts that frequently publish positions or narratives linked to the Russian state.

"The activity was concentrated in a period of about 10 days, which is more consistent with the amplification of concrete developments (the blocking of bank accounts by SPAK, Rama's statements and the protests themselves) than with a planned campaign gradually nurtured by certain actors," the report states.

“The base of authors was ideologically diverse, with groups that usually stand in opposing camps – from the far right and nationalists to the left and environmental activists – united only in opposing the project,” the report concluded. / Taken with abbreviations from BIRN