Authoritarian regimes and their proxies use social media, other online information platforms, and traditional media to attempt to shape global and domestic narratives; to sow chaos and confusion in democracies; and to undermine democratic processes. Find ASD’s work on the many ways malign actors manipulate information to interfere in democracies, including by spreading disinformation, on this page.
Limits to the “No Limits” Partnership? China’s Pro-Russian Stance in the Face of the Bucha Massacre
Since the war in Ukraine started, Chinese diplomats and state media have attempted to portray their country as a neutral third party interested only in restoring peace to Europe. But that effort has been belied by Beijing’s own messaging, which has [...]
What to Expect from Russia Should Finland and Sweden Join NATO
Finland and Sweden are applying for NATO membership, with both countries drawing a direct link between the Russian military’s unconscionable war against neighboring Ukraine and the need for the formal security guarantees the NATO alliance provides. [...]
Hamilton Toplines: May 2-May 8, 2022
Russia Russian government-affiliated Twitter accounts marked Victory Day, which celebrates the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazis in World War II, by launching a patriotic messaging push across social media. Russian diplomats and state media posted more [...]
Laura Thornton on the DHS Inspector General’s Report and Disinformation Board on Background Briefing
Background Briefing with Ian Masters · The DHS Reports On Trump's 2020 Russia Coverup as Republicans Try to Shut Down the DHS Disinfo Board Then finally we investigate the disconnect between the DHS Inspector General’s report revealing how Trump’s A [...]
Hamilton Toplines: April 25–May 1, 2022
Russia Russian diplomats and state media last week posted 764 tweets that referenced either “gas” or “rubles” as propagandists detailed Europe’s effort to cope with Moscow’s decision to cut gas supplies for Poland and Bulgaria. Russia made the move [...]
Bret Schafer Unpacks Russian and Chinese Disinformation Nexus with Washington Foreign Press Center
This briefing unpacks the Russia-China disinformation nexus, with a focus on the Global South, as well as the countries' increasing information warfare campaigns, within the context of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. [...]
Hamilton Toplines: April 18–24, 2022
Russia Russian diplomats and state media last week posted more than 800 tweets that referenced “Mariupol” or “Azovstal,” which is the name of a steel plant in the city that has become a holdout for Ukrainian soldiers. Kremlin-linked accounts celebra [...]
French Election Dashboard Toplines: April 11–17, 2022
Highlights The Russian Embassy in Paris was the author of nine of the top ten tweets by French-language Russian accounts last week. As in previous weeks, its messaging focused on the war in Ukraine and ignored domestic French politics. Russian st [...]
Laura Thornton in The Hill: ‘Big Lies’ Proliferate in Russia, As They Do in the U.S.
The Kremlin’s well-oiled disinformation machinery has been activated to create narratives both externally and internally about Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine: “It isn’t a war at all;” “Russia is liberating Ukraine from drug-addled Nazis;” “NATO is th [...]
Hamilton Toplines: April 11–17, 2022
Russia Russian diplomats and state media last week mentioned “Mariupol” in nearly 500 tweets as they blamed Ukrainian Nazis and their Western backers for war crimes committed in the battered Ukrainian port city. Diplomatic accounts claimed that Ukra [...]
Bret Schafer Evaluates Russian Disinformation Campaigns on EU Now
Bret Schafer of the Alliance for Securing Democracy joins the diplomatic mission of the European Union to the United States to talk about Russian disinformation campaigns, their role in shaping narratives about the war in Ukraine, and the challenges [...]
French Election Dashboard Toplines: April 4–10, 2022
Highlights The Russian Embassy in France attempted to deny and deflect after evidence of mass killings in Bucha shocked the French public last week. Top tweets by the embassy implied that the killings only surfaced days after Ukrainian troops took o [...]