Secondary Infektion – Russian disinformation operation relied on forgeries, fake posts on 300 platforms, new report says

Over the course of six years, Russian government operatives conducted an expansive information operation relying on forgeries and fake posts on 300 platforms. Objectives of the information operation included; (1) displaying Ukraine as a failed state or unreliable partner, (2) the United States and NATO as aggressive and interfering in other countries, (3) Europe as weak and divided, (4) Critics of the Russian government as morally corrupt, alcoholic, or otherwise mentally unstable, (5) Muslims as aggressive invaders, (6) The Russian government as the victim of Western hypocrisy or plots, (7) Western elections as rigged and candidates who criticized the Kremlin as unelectable, (8) Turkey as an aggressive and destabilizing state, (9) World sporting bodies and competitions as unfair, unprofessional, and Russophobic. The title “Secondary Infektion is a reference to the Soviet Era “Operation Infektion,” which spread the false claim that the United States created the virus that causes AIDS. Secondary Infektion was not as effective as other well-known operations, like the IRAs divisive social media campaign targeting the 2016 election, due in large to its extreme stealth.

About This Incident

Threat Actors: Russia

Incident Metadata

Date: 2014-2020
Country: United States
Source: Source Source 2