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.
The U.S. Warning of a Fake Russian Video Isn’t Alex Jones Territory
Last Thursday, AP reporter Matt Lee accused State Department spokesperson Ned Price of crossing into “Alex Jones territory.” Lee made the argument after Price refused to give evidence to support a U.S. claim that Russia was planning to release a fak [...]
Hamilton Toplines: January 24–30, 2022
Russia Russian diplomats and state-directed media last week continued to claim that Russia does not want to go to war in Ukraine, where the Kremlin has perpetuated a conflict since 2014. “If it depends on Russia, there will be no war,” Foreign Minis [...]
Kristine Berzina Discusses Biden’s Warning of Possible Russian Invasion of Ukraine in February on Al Jazeera
U.S. President Joe Biden has warned Ukraine's leader that a Russian invasion is a "distinct possibility." And it may happen as soon as next month. The Kremlin has denied it is planning an attack. [...]
ASD’s Kristine Berzina Joined Newsy’s The Why to Discuss the Crisis in Russia and Ukraine
Alliance for Securing Democracy Senior Fellow Kristine Berzina joined Newsy’s The Why to discuss the Pentagon’s warning that a Russian attack on Ukraine may be “imminent." [...]
Kristine Berzina on PRX: What Happens to European Energy Supplies if Russia Invades Ukraine?
Much of Europe's energy comes in the form of natural gas piped in from Russia. If infrastructure in Ukraine is damaged in a conflict, or Russia withholds supplies in response to sanctions, Europe could see energy prices skyrocket even more, or face [...]
How is Russia Covering the Crisis in Ukraine?
For months, Russian propagandists have been preparing for a potential war by framing Ukraine and the West as aggressors. We compiled data from our weekly Hamilton 2.0 reports to shine a light on how Russian officials and state media have messaged ar [...]
Kristine Berzina Explains Why Natural Gas is a Factor in Pushback against Russia on WBUR
Here & Now's Scott Tong speaks with Russia expert Kristine Berzina about why European dependence on Russian natural gas—and the not-yet-operational Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany—have made it harder for NATO allies to [...]
Kristine Berzina Discusses Russia’s Energy Dominance Over Europe on Fox Business
Republicans argue President Vladimir Putin is trying to get the region more hooked on Russian fuel. ASD Senior Fellow speaks to FOX Business' Hillary Vaughn. [...]
Joseph Bodnar in Inkstick: Russia’s Pursuit of Pretext in Ukraine
Russia’s campaign to justify an increasingly likely invasion of Ukraine became more blatant over the past few weeks. Moscow has used diplomacy, disinformation, and cyber operations to set the stage for a Kremlin-directed provocation that could be de [...]
Hamilton Toplines: January 17–23, 2022
Russia Russian officials and state media last week framed the West as being solely responsible for increasing the chance of war in Ukraine. RT, Sputnik, and others closely followed shipments of Western military aid to the country. Foreign Ministry s [...]
Kristine Berzina, ASD Senior Fellow, Talks to BBC About Increasing Russia-Ukraine Tensions
Kristine Berzina, senior fellow and head of geopolitics at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, joined BBC News to discuss increasing Russia-Ukraine tensions on Saturday, January 22. [...]
The Development Response to Kleptocracy and Strategic Corruption
Introduction and Summary Kleptocracies do not stop at their own borders. The same actors, networks, tactics, and resources that they wield to prevent democracy and rule of law from sprouting at home are also repurposed for foreign aggression. Whil [...]