Securing Democracy Dispatch

Russian and the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) diplomats and state media leveraged US President Donald Trump’s statements about the Panama Canal to reinforce their longstanding narratives about the international order, including through their outlets focused on Latin America, Program Coordinator Louis Savoia and GMF Resident Fellow Marcos Sebares Jiménez-Blanco wrote.

Russian diplomats and state media focused on two main narratives this week:

• USAID: Russian politicians and state media commented favorably on the suspension of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) last week. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitri Medvedev praised Elon Musk’s attempt to “to plug USAID’s Deep Throat”, expressing hope that the “notorious Deep State does not swallow him [for his efforts]”. RT en Español and TASS reported on previous USAID programs, which they allege ran the gamut from “supporting terrorists” to financing “trans comics” and a “transgender opera” in Latin America. RT en Español journalist Helena Villar went further, accusing USAID of funding political interference, revolutions, and coups. In particular, she claimed that the agency paid $600 million to fund “anti-Russian” media outlets with the goal to overthrow Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro. Russian far-right political philosopher Aleksandr Dugin shared this vision, alleging that the real mission of the USAID was to “overthrow governments that were unfavorable to the United States”.
• US Tariffs: Sputnik’s international and regional services debated the impact of US tariffs on BRICS+ countries and ordinary Americans last week. Sputnik Iran suggested that the United States would use a “tariff baton” against the BRICS+ countries as a way to maintain the dominance of the dollar, which they assured readers would be met with deepened trade ties between the PRC and BRICS+ partners. Sputnik Lithuania’s Telegram channel shared an assessment from the PRC’s State Council Tariff Commission, which concluded that US tariffs would “grossly violate” the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Sputnik Mundo warned of higher prices for avocados for Americans, while Sputnik International reported on Canada’s proposed tariff list, which included American beer, wine, bourbon, and orange juice. Sputnik Iran cited Polish political scientist Krzysztof Wasilewski, who predicted that the tariffs would not help to solve existing US problems and, in fact, would create new ones.

The PRC’s diplomats and state media focused on two main narratives this week: 

• US Tariffs: Last week, PRC state media and diplomats dedicated significant coverage to US President Donald Trump’s executive order that imposed tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China. Monitored state-affiliated accounts lambasted Trump’s tariff policy, calling it “discriminatory in nature” and claiming that it will “wreak havoc” on the global economy. PRC state media mocked the tariffs, insisting that they will “backfire” and harm Americans. This contrasts with PRC messaging on Beijing’s response to the tariffs. Pro-PRC pundits claimed that “China is the only adult in the room” and that its retaliatory measures—which included filing a complaint with the WTO—were “swift and strong” but based on “dialogue”.
• USAID: PRC messaging also seized on USAID’s closure. PRC state media and diplomatic accounts amplified claims from prominent US political figures that USAID is “evil” and a “criminal” organization, even reposting an interview with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who alleged that USAID is a “CIA front”. Other monitored accounts suggested the agency censored “global freedom of speech” and reposted Musk’s allegation that USAID funded “bioweapon research”, oddly (and perhaps unintentionally) giving credence to claims that COVID-19 originated in a Chinese lab.

Russia coordinates mass vehicle vandalization ahead of German elections: Russian operatives hired young men from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Germany to vandalize as many as 270 vehicles—plastering them with pro-climate activism stickers and rendering some unusable—in four German cities to stoke outrage against Germany’s Green party ahead of the country’s national elections this month, a Spiegel report found. Co-Managing Director David Salvo told the Dispatch, “Russia is increasingly redirecting its interference operations from social media platforms to the streets. Over the past year, there has been a wave of Russian state-sponsored kinetic activities across Europe—everything from exploding packages to assassination attempts to graffiti campaigns—to silence perceived opponents of the Russian government, deceive and spook local populations into mistrusting institutions and governance, and meddle in election campaigns. That’s not to say the online threat has subsided. Quite the contrary. But we should anticipate Russia using third-country proxies and, wittingly or unwittingly, citizens of the target country itself to conduct physical operations more and more.”

Medvedev attacks Czech senator over falsely attributed social media post: Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev took to Telegram to express hope that a Czech lawmaker would “perish in the bloody storms of” an uprising after an X post falsely attributed to the lawmaker that called for another siege of Leningrad spread on Russian social and state media. Senior Fellow Bret Schafer said, “Medvedev has become one of the Russian state’s most unhinged messengers on social media, so it is entirely unsurprising that he took the bait here. But whether he was genuinely duped or knowingly amplified a false claim, it speaks to the ease with which manipulated information can be used to spark global conflicts.”

In Case You Missed It

• The US government will disband an FBI unit dedicated to combating foreign threats to the US electoral process.
• Major technology companies, including Meta, X, and Google, passed a German government-administered stress test, which concluded that the platforms are prepared to respond to online interference efforts in the country’s upcoming elections.
• The White House is asking for public input on its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy, which will prioritize US leadership in the technology.
• Google reversed a policy that forbade use of its generative AI tools for the development of weapons and surveillance.

“The escalating threats of foreign interference and disruptive interventions in public debates during key electoral events represent a direct challenge to our stability and sovereignty. Recent incidents demand urgent and united action to defend forthcoming elections in the EU.”

—A letter to the European Commission dated January 30 from ministers of Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, and Spain, to establish a new EU authority to counter foreign information manipulation and interference.

The views expressed in GMF publications and commentary are the views of the author alone.