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.
Russia Floods Twitter with Propaganda about the Kakhovka Dam’s Collapse
Overview In the early hours of June 6, an explosion collapsed the Kakhovka dam, releasing a torrent of water across the Ukrainian countryside and igniting a blame game across social media. Evidence collected by the New York Times indicates that Russ [...]
ASD Data on Russian Propaganda on Dam Collapse Covered Exclusively in The Record
Russian officials and diplomats have been coordinating an unusually organized and large-scale disinformation campaign to discredit reports that the nation is responsible for the June 6 collapse of the Nova Kakhovka Dam, according to a new study. Disi [...]
Russia Didn’t Know How to Frame the Discord Leaks
Overview On April 13, the FBI arrested Jack Teixeira for his alleged involvement in leaking hundreds of classified documents. Teixeira, a member of the Air National Guard, reportedly shared the US intelligence assessments with his friends over the c [...]
Joseph Bodnar Discusses the Discord Leaks on Background Briefing
Background Briefing with Ian Masters · Navy Vet Behind Pro-Putin Site that Doctored and Spread Documents Stolen by a National Guard Airman We look into the role of a recent member of the US Navy, Sarah Bils, who runs a pro-Putin social media site D [...]
David Salvo Discusses Russia’s Arrest of American Journalist Evan Gershkovich on Fox
David Salvo, managing director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy at GMF and a former State Department official in Russia, joined LiveNOW on FOX on Friday, March 31, to discuss the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Even Gershkovich in Russi [...]
AP Exclusive on ASD Research: TikTok Propaganda Labels Fall Flat in ‘Huge Win’ for Russia
A year ago, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, TikTok started labeling accounts operated by Russian state propaganda agencies as a way to tell users they were being exposed to Kremlin disinformation. An analysis a year later shows the policy ha [...]
TikTok’s Russia Challenge: Kremlin-Funded Media Reaches Millions on the App
Overview TikTok has been central to the world’s understanding of Russia’s war in Ukraine. It was particularly valuable in the conflict’s early days when people were desperate for news and able to find real-time updates about military maneuvers and o [...]
Turn East at the Crossroads: Analyzing Russian Rhetoric on Turkey-NATO Relations Following the Quran Burning in Sweden
NATO’s role in countering Russian aggression during the war in Ukraine has made the alliance a repeated target of Kremlin-linked propaganda campaigns. Central to this effort is an attempt by Russian state-affiliated media and diplomats to exploit or [...]
RT en Español Won’t Stay Off YouTube
Overview YouTube was essential to RT’s early success, helping the Russian propaganda network expand its audience across the globe. YouTube’s decision to ban Russian state media channels after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine thus marked a sig [...]
Biden’s Historic Trip Generates Vital Political and Geopolitical Momentum
US President Joe Biden’s Ukraine, Poland, and NATO meetings last week in the run up to the one-year mark of Russia’s attack on Ukraine was historic—and effective. He shored up support among Ukraine’s allies, undercut adversaries abroad and critics a [...]
A Year of Disinformation: Russia and China’s Influence Campaigns During the War in Ukraine
Introduction Prior to the war in Ukraine, Russia was perceived to be an unrivaled power in the information domain, and its ability to conduct sophisticated information operations was considered a distinct strategic advantage in the event of a war. B [...]
David Salvo Discusses Biden’s Ukraine Trip on Background Briefing
Background Briefing with Ian Masters · Biden's Meeting With the Bucharest 9 Who Expressed Unanimous Solidarity With Ukraine In the short term, the war should be seen as a Ukrainian victory and a Russian blunder, but Kyiv will need continued Western [...]