Securing Democracy Dispatch

The Securing Democracy Dispatch will take a break next week to celebrate Thanksgiving. We will resume with a special edition the first week of December.

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

• Epstein Files: Russian state media devoted significant coverage last week—roughly double that of Iranian and PRC state media—to congressional Democrats’ release of selected communications between disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and several notable individuals, including US President Donald Trump. Much of the coverage focused on Trump berating various reporters for asking questions about the files, with several outlets posting a video of the president saying “quiet, piggy” to a female journalist aboard Air Force One. The RT show Going Underground tweeted that the New York Times’ “moral depravity breaks new records” after documents revealed correspondence between a former reporter and Epstein. Going Underground also highlighted comments from Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who linked US saber rattling in Latin America to efforts to distract from the files, saying that “a clan of pedophiles wants to destroy our democracy”. RT mocked the US Department of Justice’s promise to release the Epstein files within 30 days, posting an image of a completely redacted document along with a caption that read, “So this is what the Epstein files are gonna look like?”
• Corruption in Ukraine: For a second straight week, Russian government officials and state media hammered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over allegations of corruption in his administration. Deputy Chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev took aim at Europe’s support for Kyiv, wondering what excuses they would give “when the corrupt druggie in Kiev gets charged?” Propagandist Vladimir Soloviev also wondered what Europe’s response would be to the scandal, noting that European leaders, “though servile bastards, are not complete idiots” and they “do not want to disappear along with the rampant corrupt mold”. RT highlighted critical commentary in the West, including comments from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who noted that “enthusiasm for aid to Ukraine is waning, critical POLITICO coverage claiming that the EU is “disgusted with ‘endemic corruption’” in Ukraine, and a cartoon from the French satirical outlet Charlie Hedbo that labeled Zelenskyy’s administration “Raider[s] of the European Treasury”. 

The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) diplomats and state media focused on two main narratives this week:

• PRC-Japan Spat: PRC state messengers continued to draw significant attention to their diplomatic spat with Japan over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s off-the-cut remarks about Japan providing military support to Taiwan if the latter were invaded by the PRC. The PRC Foreign Ministry claimed Takaichi’s remarks “sabotage” the political foundation of PRC-Japan relations and issued an advisory urging Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan. The PRC Ministry of National Defense warned that Japan will “suffer a heavy blow” if Tokyo supports Taiwan. In what is being interpreted as a death threat, the PRC’s Consul General in Osaka posted on X that “we have no choice but cut off [Takaichi’s] dirty neck that has been lunged at us without hesitation. Are you ready?” PRC state media echoed Beijing’s warnings and compared Takaichi’s comments to Japan’s past militarism. The Global Times posted a cartoon video of Takaichi driving a tank over a cliff.
• COP30: PRC state messengers also dedicated significant coverage to the PRC’s participation at the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, with the conference being among the top ten key phrases mentioned this week by PRC monitored accounts on X, YouTube, and Facebook. In light of the United States’ retreating role on climate issues, PRC messengers positioned Beijing as a “pivotal force” in global climate governance and a key partner for developing countries. PRC state media amplified criticism of the United States’ absence from the conference, including California Governor Gavin Newsom’s remarks that Trump is trying “to recreate the 19th century”.  Many outlets used the conference to boast China’s technological achievements in the climate space, with China Focus contrasting Beijing’s achievements with the United States’ lack thereof, saying the United States “lags behind” on clean energy as it “doubl[es] down on oil, gas, and coal”. 

Iranian diplomats and state media focused on one main narrative this week:

• Epstein Files: Iranian state messengers dedicated significant coverage to the release of Epstein-related documents. Iranian state media amplified coverage of the different high-profile names mentioned in the House Oversight Committee’s released emails, in particular mentions of Trump and US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack. Press TV called Trump “unrepentant” following his sudden reversal in supporting the release of the so-called Epstein files. Fars International amplified allegations by Epstein’s brother that Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel have been removing Republican names from the files. Other Iranian propaganda outlets capitalized on the Epstein emails to try to implicate Israel, including emphasizing his relationship with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, claiming Epstein helped him broker security deals across Africa and repeating theories that Epstein and his partner, Ghisene Maxwell, were Mossad assets. Press TV’s program Unscripted interviewed a Western “independent journalist” who claimed, without evidence, that Epstein was working for the CIA to guide arms deals and fund foreign influence operations. 

Russia enlists two men to sabotage Polish train tracks, officials say: Polish authorities blamed Russia for enlisting two Ukrainian men to place explosive devices on the Warsaw-Lublin rail line used to supply Ukraine, leading to a minor explosion that destroyed tracks near a town outside Warsaw. Managing Director David Salvo tells the Dispatch, “Sabotage is a key tactic of Russia’s hybrid operations, not least because it causes real damage to western security and commercial interests. It’s also a way for Russia to probe allied defenses and highlight internal divisions among policymakers and security officials about how to respond to these attacks. In Europe, as in the United States, there’s still no clear policy—neither within most national governments nor within NATO—about how to address such hybrid attacks against critical infrastructure. That’s a vulnerability Russia will continue to exploit.”

In case you missed it

• PRC intelligence assets are posing as LinkedIn recruiters to cultivate relationships with individuals with access to sensitive information on the UK Parliament and government, targeting members of Parliament, government employees, and others in civil society, the UK domestic intelligence agency warned.
• Approximately 900 media webpages—ranging from major news outlets to fringe blogs—have linked to sites belonging to the Russian influence network Pravda over the past year, with 80% of those pages treating the Pravda sites as credible sources, according to an Institute for Strategic Dialogue investigation.
• German lawmakers approved legislation to give the Interior Ministry authority to forbid the use of components from specific companies in critical sectors due to cyber risks, with an eye to keeping Chinese parts out of sensitive industries like energy and transport.
• Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto proposed the creation of a national civilian and military unit to deter and respond to hybrid threats—including in the information, economic, and cyber domains—from countries such as Russia, China, and North Korea.
• Russia-backed hackers took down websites belonging to the Danish government and several political parties a day before Tuesday’s local elections, but the intrusions did not impact voting.

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