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.
Moldova in the Crosshairs: The Top 4 Russian Narratives
In July, Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița said she feared that Russia could target Moldova next as it continues to wage its devastating war in Ukraine. From her statement, it seems likely that Moldova could become an increasingly significan [...]
Hamilton Toplines: August 22–28, 2022
Russia Russian state media and diplomats last week tweeted 16,941 times, generating 191,154 retweets and 575,694 likes. Kremlin-affiliated accounts last week barely mentioned a Russian bomb that killed at least 22 Ukrainians and injured 50 more at a [...]
Hamilton Toplines: August 15–21, 2022
Russia Monitored Russian accounts last week tweeted 16,366 times, generating 161,117 retweets and 518,932 likes. Kremlin-affiliated accounts last week claimed that Ukraine and its “US handlers” were preparing to frame Moscow for an attack on the R [...]
Hamilton Toplines: August 8–16, 2022
Russia Monitored Russian accounts tweeted 15,740 times last week, generating 154,030 retweets and 468,791 likes. “Trump” and “FBI” were the fourth and sixth most frequently used key phrases by Russian propagandists on Twitter last week as they criti [...]
Russia’s Biggest Spanish-Language Propaganda Accounts Are Popular But Losing Reach
Overview Russia’s Spanish-language social media accounts have consistently punched above their weight, with follower numbers and engagement totals far outpacing those of Russia’s other external facing messengers. The success of Russia’s Spanish-lang [...]
The Russian Media Account Hitting It Off with Spanish Speakers
Overview Six days after Russia launched a full-scale invasion into Ukraine, the EU banned Kremlin-backed media platforms RT and Sputnik from operating inside or directing content at the EU. In the days between Russia’s war in Ukraine (which started [...]
Hamilton Monthly Report: July 2022
This report highlights and analyzes key trends and takeaways from data collected by the Hamilton 2.0 dashboard during the previous month. Unlike ASD’s weekly Hamilton reports, which analyze the main topics and themes promoted by monitored Russian an [...]
Hamilton Toplines: August 1–7, 2022
Russia Monitored Russian accounts sent 16,344 tweets, generating 178,980 retweets and 532,493 likes. Kremlin-linked accounts last week focused on US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, calling the trip a provocation, amplifying China’s [...]
Bret Schafer Quoted in The New York Times: How Russian Propaganda Is Reaching Beyond English Speakers
At the beginning of Russia's war in Ukraine, Facebook, Twitter, and major social media platforms blocked or limited the reach of Russian state media in the West, and created a patchwork of restrictions across the globe. As a result, Russian propagan [...]
David Salvo Examines Brittney Griner’s Court Sentence in Russia on CNN
A Russian court sentenced American basketball player Brittney Griner to 9 years in prison last week. David Salvo, deputy director at GMF’s Alliance for Securing Democracy, joined CNN to discuss her guilty verdict and the potential for a US-Russia pr [...]
David Salvo Dissects Hungarian Prime Minister Orban’s Speech at CPAC on CSPAN
David Salvo talked about Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s remarks at the 2022 CPAC conference. [...]
Hamilton Toplines: July 25–31, 2022
Russia Monitored Russian accounts tweeted 16,217 times last week, pulling in 189,410 retweets and 549,373 likes. Kremlin-linked accounts last week focused much of their messaging around the EU’s dependence on Russian gas. While RT explained that “te [...]