Russia uses social media to interfere with elections and destabilise situation around the world – ISW

Ivashkiv Olena — Wednesday, 18 September 2024, 05:40

A phone with social media apps on the screen. Stock photo: Getty Images

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has estimated that Russia is continuing to develop its ability to use information operations on social media platforms to cause kinetic activity, interfere with elections and carry out destabilisation activities and sanctions evasion schemes.

Source: ISW

Details: Leaked documents describing the Kremlin's large-scale disinformation campaigns against Ukraine and the West continue to demonstrate the Kremlin's desire to use its global information tools to promote Moscow's interests through social media.

Quote: "Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, banned Russian state media outlet Russia Today (RT) and ‘other related entities’ on 17 September for ‘foreign interference activity’.

The US Department of State announced sanctions on 13 September against entities and individuals connected with RT, which the State Department accused of engaging in information operations, covert influence, and military procurement efforts for the Kremlin by targeting states in Europe, Africa, and North and South America."

More details: Skhemy, an investigative project by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), has analysed thousands of leaked documents previously obtained by German and Estonian media describing the work of the Russian company Social Design Agency (SDA), which the US Department of Justice recently declared part of the Russian government-directed foreign malign influence campaigns colloquially referred to as "Doppelganger".

Skhemy reported that the SDA distributed fake official documents, including fabricated orders from the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as part of efforts to "discredit the military-political leadership of Ukraine and demoralise the Armed Forces of Ukraine".

The SDA reportedly created fake documents supposedly from European governmental institutions, fake news supposedly from European media and anti-Ukrainian memes that were widely circulated on social media.

To quote the ISW’s Key Takeaways on 17 September:

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office opened an investigation into another case of apparent Russian abuse and execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war (POW).
Leaked documents outlining large-scale Kremlin information operation campaigns targeting Ukraine and the West continue to demonstrate the Kremlin's commitment to leveraging its global information instruments to advance Moscow’s interests using social media.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu arrived in Iran for an unannounced visit following recent visits to Syria and North Korea amid ongoing Russian efforts to secure military cooperation and support from non-Western allies.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in Moscow.
Russian forces recently advanced near Toretsk and Pokrovsk and southwest of the city of Donetsk.
Ukraine's Defence Intelligence reported on 17 September that Russia continues to recruit citizens from Syria to fight in Ukraine.

Support UP or become our patron!