Short-form insights and rapid-reaction analysis of breaking news and global events.
Russia has blamed Ukrainian intelligence for the October 8 blast that partially collapsed the Kerch Bridge that connects Crimea to the Russian mainland. Russian President Vladimir Putin called it a “terrorist attack” and promised swift reprisals. Tr [...]
Russia Monitored Russian accounts tweeted 11,856 times from October 5 to October 11, generating 200,189 retweets and 626,538 likes. Russian state media and diplomats last week provided extensive coverage of the Crimean bridge explosion on October 8, [...]
Yesterday, the Biden administration released its National Security Strategy, which focuses on the competition between democracy and autocracy, lays out threats coming from Russia and China, and notes that the US must both strengthen democracy at hom [...]
The Midterm Monitor is an interactive tool that provides a snapshot of social media messages and narratives shaping the conversation around voting and election administration in the leadup to the 2022 midterm elections. The Midterm Monitor tracks so [...]
Russia Russian diplomats and state media last week tweeted 18,327 times, generating 266,201 retweets and 836,310 likes. Kremlin-affiliated accounts last week made a concerted push to amplify a conspiratorial speech given by President Vladimir Putin, [...]
Overview On September 26, a series of blasts ripped through the Nord Stream pipelines, which carry gas from Russia to Europe. NATO called the explosions “deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage” and expressed support for investigati [...]
The Midterm Monitor is an interactive tool that provides a snapshot of social media messages and narratives shaping the conversation around voting and election administration in the leadup to the 2022 midterm elections. The Midterm Monitor tracks so [...]
Russia Monitored Russian accounts last week tweeted 19,668 times, generating 224,448 retweets and 687,480 likes. On Tuesday, Kremlin-orchestrated referendums in occupied areas of Ukraine laid a pretext for Russia to announce the annexation of larg [...]
Americans must act to protect themselves—and their communities—from mis- and disinformation. The Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States has five quick tips to help you avoid consuming and sharing false news: [...]
Overview On Tuesday, Kremlin-staged referendums in occupied areas of Ukraine laid the groundwork for Russia to announce the annexation of roughly 15 percent of Ukraine’s territory. A large-scale propaganda push accompanied these widely discredited [...]
This report highlights and analyzes key trends and takeaways from data collected by the Hamilton 2.0 dashboard during the previous month. Unlike ASD’s weekly Hamilton reports, which analyze the main topics and themes promoted by monitored Russian an [...]
Russia Toplines Monitored Russian accounts last week tweeted 17,668 times, generating 172,959 retweets and 528,354 likes. Russian propagandists shared the directives, threats, and falsehoods pushed by President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister [...]
On September 14, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen delivered her third State of the European Union speech. With European democratic values and institutions under immense pressure, both abroad and at home, the address conveyed [...]
This article was jointly published by the Istituto Affari Internazionali and the Alliance for Securing Democracy. Views expressed are the authors' alone. Introduction Should the polling prove accurate, Italy will soon be governed by its most radi [...]
On this International Day of Democracy, the Ukrainian people’s resistance to Russia’s ongoing war against their country is a powerful reminder of the immense courage that is required to defend democracy and safeguard the survival of an entire nation [...]
Russia Toplines Monitored Russian accounts over the past nine days tweeted 23,348 times, generating 259,630 retweets and 848,122 likes. As the Ukrainian military recaptured large amounts of territory in the country’s northeast and south, Kremlin-lin [...]
Over the past few days, the Ukrainian military launched a successful counteroffensive to regain control of the city of Izium and other territory in the northwestern Kharkiv region from Russian occupying forces. The Alliance for Securing Democracy ra [...]
Russia Monitored Russian state media and diplomatic accounts last week posted 16,757 tweets, generating 159,855 retweets and 489,526 likes. Russia-linked accounts last week carried the Kremlin’s statement that it would not fully resume gas supplies [...]
In July, Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița said she feared that Russia could target Moldova next as it continues to wage its devastating war in Ukraine. From her statement, it seems likely that Moldova could become an increasingly significan [...]
Russia Russian state media and diplomats last week tweeted 16,941 times, generating 191,154 retweets and 575,694 likes. Kremlin-affiliated accounts last week barely mentioned a Russian bomb that killed at least 22 Ukrainians and injured 50 more at a [...]
Earlier this month, ASD Elections Integrity Fellow David Levine spoke with Constance Hargrove, director of elections for Pima County, Arizona. Arizona recently became the first battleground state to nominate election deniers for all three top state [...]
Last week, ASD Elections Integrity Fellow David Levine spoke with longtime Wisconsin election administrator and Madison City Attorney Michael Haas. They talked about conducting Wisconsin elections, including the state’s August 9th primary, in the st [...]
Russia Monitored Russian accounts last week tweeted 16,366 times, generating 161,117 retweets and 518,932 likes. Kremlin-affiliated accounts last week claimed that Ukraine and its “US handlers” were preparing to frame Moscow for an attack on the R [...]
Russia Monitored Russian accounts tweeted 15,740 times last week, generating 154,030 retweets and 468,791 likes. “Trump” and “FBI” were the fourth and sixth most frequently used key phrases by Russian propagandists on Twitter last week as they criti [...]
Overview Russia’s Spanish-language social media accounts have consistently punched above their weight, with follower numbers and engagement totals far outpacing those of Russia’s other external facing messengers. The success of Russia’s Spanish-lang [...]
Overview Six days after Russia launched a full-scale invasion into Ukraine, the EU banned Kremlin-backed media platforms RT and Sputnik from operating inside or directing content at the EU. In the days between Russia’s war in Ukraine (which started [...]
This report highlights and analyzes key trends and takeaways from data collected by the Hamilton 2.0 dashboard during the previous month. Unlike ASD’s weekly Hamilton reports, which analyze the main topics and themes promoted by monitored Russian an [...]
Russia Monitored Russian accounts sent 16,344 tweets, generating 178,980 retweets and 532,493 likes. Kremlin-linked accounts last week focused on US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, calling the trip a provocation, amplifying China’s [...]
Russia Monitored Russian accounts tweeted 16,217 times last week, pulling in 189,410 retweets and 549,373 likes. Kremlin-linked accounts last week focused much of their messaging around the EU’s dependence on Russian gas. While RT explained that “te [...]
Russia Monitored Russian accounts tweeted 15,939 times last week, pulling in 165,609 retweets and 506,058 likes. Russian propagandists last week focused on Vladimir Putin’s trip to Tehran and the agreements he reached with the leaders of Iran and Tu [...]
Russia Monitored Russian government and state media accounts tweeted 15,282 times last week, generating 170,562 retweets and 523,930 likes. Kremlin linked outlets used US President Joe Biden’s Middle East trip to paint him as inconsistent, submissiv [...]
Last week, ASD Elections Integrity Fellow David Levine spoke with Brandi Bantz, director of elections for Mesa County, Colorado, and the Mesa County designated election official (DEO) for the 2022 elections, on the latest episode of Ballots and Bage [...]
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Russian Federation, the world’s most powerful authoritarian states, both routinely target dissidents outside their borders because the brittleness of autocracy makes dissident citizens living freely abroa [...]
Top Takeaways The downward spiral of Russian state media on Twitter and Facebook continued in June. Monitored Russian accounts on Twitter saw a 17 percent decline in retweets and an 18 percent decline in likes compared to May, while state media Page [...]
Russia Monitored Russian accounts tweeted 16,236 times last week, generating 191,388 retweets and 584,066 likes. Kremlin-linked accounts took aim at UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson after he announced his resignation, making “Johnson” the second most [...]
Top Headlines in Russia Key Phrase: NATO At the NATO Summit in Madrid, NATO allies adopted a new Strategic Concept that labels Russia the main threat to transatlantic security. The top headlines on Yandex’s news aggregator portray the summit relativ [...]
Russia Russian state media and diplomats last week tweeted 17,313 times, generating 196,139 retweets and 614,738 likes. Russian propagandists last week posted more than 1,000 tweets mentioning NATO, bringing in more than 19,000 retweets and 56,000 l [...]
Overview On June 24, the US Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to an abortion, sparking an outpouring of protests and national media coverage. Russian and Chinese propagandists also weighed in, though their messaging strategies on th [...]
Russia Monitored Russian accounts tweeted 17,875 times last week, pulling in 200,445 retweets and 613,214 likes. Russian propagandists reacted to Ukraine and Moldova earning EU candidate status by arguing that the bloc was building a war-like coalit [...]
Russia Russian officials and state media last week targeted the European Union as the bloc moved forward with plans to grant Ukraine candidate status. RIA Novosti paraphrased a Russian lawmaker saying that “Ukraine will not live to see EU membership [...]