Nearly 40% of posts in anonymous Telegram channels cite unnamed experts — IMI study

Almost 40% of posts featuring “expert” comments in anonymous Telegram channels mention no specific names. The citations are vague: “experts”, “world experts” or “military experts”, and contain no details such as last names or other important information. For comparison, posts with anonymous expertise amounted to 35% last year, according to a study by the Institute of Mass Information, published in June 2025.

IMI analysts note that such widespread involvement of anonymous “experts” is a key tool for legitimizing manipulative messages in Telegram channels and a violation of journalistic credibility standards.

“Anonymous Telegram channels abuse the anonymity not just in terms of complete lack of information about the media outlets' owners, but also in terms of providing insufficient information for their readers to understand from the post who is commenting on a given event and whether the expert has sufficient experience and understanding of the topic. The vague use of the word 'expert' creates a misleading impression that the information is true. In fact, for the audience, this should be a red flag that the admins of such Telegam channels are trying to push content of dubious quality and reliability,” comments Yana Mashkova, a media researcher at the Institute of Mass Information.

Moreover, IMI analysts report that the “opinions” of anonymous experts in anonymous Telegram channels may be featured in commissioned posts aimed to smear or promote certain messages for a price.

IMI has developed some tips on how to distinguish a real expert from a false one:

• Research the expert on Google or another search engine: their education, work experience, and projects.
• Expert quotes should not be excessively emotional, contain manipulation or assumptions.
• An expert should not be commenting on “everything everywhere,” such as politics, roundwood exports, military operations in Sumy oblast, prices, and the spread of COVID-19.
• Experts should not have a history of involvement in negative PR in the interests of other parties (politicians or businesses); this can be checked in the Texty database of faux experts.
• Experts should not make social media posts with emotional or manipulative conclusions and should make fact-based judgements.

The Institute of Mass Information advises Ukrainians to refer to the High-Quality Media List and the Recommended Media Map. This is a list of media outlets that offer reliable information and do not spread manipulative, fake, or misleading news.

*IMI uses their own automated methods, collects and systematizes data from Telegram channels using software. 223,241 posts were screened during the monitoring period of June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025. During this period, 1,409 posts contained the word “expert”.

The monitoring included anonymous Ukrainian Telegram channels with over a million subscribers: “Trukha⚡️Ukraine”, “Times of Ukraine”, “Insider UA”, “Realna Viyna”, “Realnyi Kyiv”, “Ukraina Seychas”, “Ukraina Online”, “Vsevidyashcheye OKO”, “Telegramna Sluzhba Novyn”, “Kyiv INFO”.