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.
Interference Matters
Catch Me If EU Can: How RT and Sputnik Evade EU Content Bans
Hamilton Toplines: February 21–27, 2022
Russia Russian state media celebrated Putin’s recognition on Monday of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, sharing images of fireworks and people waving Russian flags in the regions. Russian President Vladimir Putin just [...]
Kristine Berzina Debates Russian Public Opinion on the War in Ukraine on France 24
The situation in Ukraine is the focus of the world's media. The shelling of Kharkiv has been condemned as a war crime by the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. There has been damage across the whole of Ukraine, but the next phase of the Russia [...]
Bret Schafer Discusses Russia’s Disinformation During Its Invasion of Ukraine on KPCC
Russian forces bombarded the central square in Ukraine’s second-largest city and other civilian sites Tuesday in what the country’s president condemned as a blatant campaign of terror by Moscow. In Kyiv, the TV tower in the capital was hit, accordin [...]
Clint Watts Discusses Russia’s Four Target Audiences for Disinformation with Tech Policy Press
Clint Watts, a former FBI special agent, a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, a Non-Resident Fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, and the author of Messing With The Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media W [...]
Kristine Berzina Discusses New Russia Sanctions on Al Jazeera
ASD Senior Fellow Kristine Berzina talks to Al Jazeera about the new sanctions on Russia. [...]
Laura Thornton and Hanna Hopko in The Hill: Ukraine’s Real-Life Challenge for Democracy
One hundred countries joined President Biden’s Summit for Democracy in December to affirm global commitment to democracy during a period of decline and rising authoritarianism. Lofty pledges were made, and the White House announced 2022 as a “year o [...]
Joshua Kirschenbaum Discusses Russia Sanctions on Yahoo Finance
ASD Senior Fellow and illicit finance expert Josh Kirschenbaum joins Yahoo Finance Live to discuss strategies the U.S. and European allies could take in imposing additional sanctions on Russia. [...]
Zack Cooper Discusses the Moscow/Beijing Alliance during Russia’s War in Ukraine with VOA
ASD's Zack Cooper and GMF's Bonnie Glaser talk with Carol Castiel about the evolution of U.S. China relations. They also analyze growing geostrategic rapprochement between Moscow and Beijing. [...]
Russian Messaging the Week Before War on Ukraine
Russian disinformation on the Kremlin-instigated crisis in Ukraine reached a new level of intensity between February 14 and February 20, 2022. Months of Russian warnings about a Ukrainian provocation developed into baseless accusations that Ukrainia [...]
David Salvo Explains Why Putin Seems So Focused on Invading Ukraine on Cheddar
Russian President Vladimir Putin openly invaded the neighboring country of Ukraine on Thursday following weeks of overtures and discussions on keeping an incursion from happening. David Salvo, the deputy director for the Alliance for Securing Democr [...]
A ‘New Normal’ in Eastern Europe? David Salvo Discusses with Boyd Matheson
Everyone has been watching in horror on their TVs as Russia invades Ukraine, an attack Europe has not seen in decades. Is this the beginning of a new normal in Eastern Europe? Or can the international community band together and respond in a way th [...]
Sanctions Are A Tool, Not A Magic Wand
As Russia has menaced Ukraine with a buildup of troops in recent weeks—and even after those forces ultimately crossed the border—much media and expert commentary has focused on what the U.S. and EU sanctions response should be, analyzing its effects [...]