Russia has long been waging operations against democracies using all of the asymmetric tools ASD tracks—information manipulation, cyberattacks, malign finance, civil society subversion, and state economic coercion. The Kremlin’s geographic scope in conducting operations to undermine democracy continues to expand and its tactics continue to evolve. Find ASD’s work on Russia’s attempts to interfere in democracies on this page.
Zack Cooper Discusses Russia’s War in Ukraine on War on the Rocks
Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. They explain what has been surprising to each of them thus far in the conflict. Why has Russia struggled so mightily? Why has Ukraine fought so effectively? And why have the Unit [...]
Hamilton Toplines: March 14–March 20, 2022
Russia Russian diplomats and state media last week promoted new evidence to support their conspiracy narrative about the presence of U.S.-funded bioweapon labs in Ukraine, though the number of tweets from Russian propagandists with the term “biologi [...]
Kristine Berzina Assesses the State of U.S.-Russia Diplomatic Ties on NewsNation
Alliance for Securing Democracy's Kristine Berzina says ties between Moscow and Washington have been on shaky ground for years. [...]
David Salvo Discusses Putin’s Next Move in Ukraine on Bloomberg
David Salvo, Deputy Director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy and senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, discusses the Ukraine War. He spoke with Bloomberg's David Westin. [...]
Russia’s War in Ukraine: Lessons for Taiwan
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine serves as a reminder for democracies big and small of the stakes of maintaining free and open societies in the face of rising illiberalism, autocracy, and totalitarianism. And despite the seemingly insurmountable odds fo [...]
Laura Thornton Quoted in the New York Times: Truth is Another Front in Putin’s War
Nearly a month since Russia invaded Ukraine, the Kremlin has continued to spread outlandish, illogical narratives to justify the war. While disinformation during wartime is not a new phenomenon, it has reached new heights and audiences in the social [...]
Bret Schafer Assesses the Effectiveness of Putin’s Disinformation on Ukraine on Deep Dish
For the last three weeks, people around the world have been watching the war in Ukraine unfold on their phones, intimately observing live footage of the conflict’s devastation alongside rampant fake news from Russia claiming the war isn’t real. Disi [...]
David Salvo on Putin’s Frustration over Stalling War Efforts on NewsNation
For weeks since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Zelensky has pleaded for help from lawmakers in various allied states, including the United Kingdom and Canada. Thus far, the U.S. has imposed various sanctions against Russia and has provided m [...]
Kristine Berzina on Zelensky’s Call for Help from Congress on France 24
Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed the US Congress. Ukraine's president made a plea for more help to defend his country against Vladimir Putin's forces. On day 21 of the Russian invasion, with shelling and air strikes continuing, Zelensky appealed to [...]
Hamilton Toplines: March 7–13, 2022
Russia Russian diplomats and state media last week tweeted the word “biological” nearly 600 times as they advanced their disinformation campaign about U.S.-funded bioweapon facilities in Ukraine. U.S. officials and independent reporters have stated [...]
Bret Schafer Dissects Russia’s Disinformation Campaign around Ukraine with Boyd Matheson
We hear it all the time: Russia is engaged in a disinformation campaign to undercut support for Ukraine. But how does it actually work, has it had any influence, and how can it be stopped? Bret Schafer from The Alliance Securing Democracy gives us [...]
Director Laura Thornton Testifies Before European Parliament on Transatlantic Cooperation during Russia’s War in Ukraine
Statement before the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Hearing on Transatlantic Cooperation Following Russian Aggression on Ukraine Ukraine and Global Democracy March 14, 2022 Thank you, Chair David McAllister and Rapporteur Tonino P [...]