Search for:
Borrowed “Voces”: How a Mexican Journalism Club Became a Mouthpiece for Russia and Cuba
Ten months after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Club de Periodistas de México (The Club of Journalists of Mexico) bestowed awards upon three journalists from RT, a Russian state-owned media outlet, for their international coverage of the Kremlin’s “special operation in Ukraine”. In an acceptance speech on the winners’ behalf, Viktor Koronelli, the then-Russian ambassador to Mexico, stressed the importance of objective reporting and claimed the recognition confirmed Mexico’s support for Russia “in its fight against Ukrainian terrorism”. The awards from a club that, according to its website, has “driven journalistic excellence and fostered collaboration
Securing Democracy Dispatch
Announcements The Securing Democracy Dispatch will take a break next week to celebrate Thanksgiving. We will resume with a special edition the first week of December. Hamilton 2.0 Analysis Russian diplomats and state media focused on two main narratives this week: Epstein Files: Russian state media devoted significant coverage last week—roughly double that of Iranian and PRC state media—to congressional Democrats’ release of selected communications between disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and several notable individuals, including US President Donald Trump. Much of the coverage focused on Trump berating various reporters for asking questions
Securing Democracy Dispatch
Hamilton 2.0 Analysis Russian diplomats and state media focused on two main narratives this week: Predicting Zelenskyy’s Alleged Demise: Russian state media lifted the voices of a cadre of former US officials turned Russian state-media commentators to push a narrative that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “days in power are numbered”. Lawrence Wilkerson, a former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, told Sputnik News that when Zelenskyy loses the support of the “Nazis and oligarchs around him, he’ll either run off to one of his villas abroad or be killed”, which Wilkerson predicted would happen by Christmas. Sputnik also amplified an interview in
Securing Democracy Dispatch
Our Takes “No one in the political spectrum is happy with where we are from an information standpoint. Everyone looks at our current information system as failing us”, Senior Fellow Bret Schafer told WXXI’s Connections with Evan Dawson in a conversation about US polarization and foreign authoritarian actors’ use of AI. Hamilton 2.0 Analysis Russian diplomats and state media focused on two main narratives this week: Nuclear Testing: Russian officials and state media defended the country’s development of nuclear weapons and criticized the United States’ stated intentions to resume nuclear testing. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia does not threate
Authoritarian Governments Using AI to Undermine Democracies, Bret Schafer Tells WXXI’s Connections with Evan Dawson
Senior Fellow Bret Schafer joined WXXI's Connections with Evan Dawson to discuss how authoritarian governments have harnessed AI to supercharge the spread of false or polarizing information online to destabilize democracies. [fusion_button link="https://www.wxxinews.org/show/connections/2025-11-04/ai-propaganda-and-the-future-of-democracy" title="" target="_self" link_attributes="" alignment_medium="" alignment_small="" alignment="" modal="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" sticky_display="normal,sticky" class="" id="" color="default" button_gradient_top_color_hover="" hue="" saturation="" lightness="" alpha="" button_gradient_top_color="" button_gradie
Securing Democracy Dispatch
Hamilton 2.0 Analysis Russian diplomats and state media focused on two main narratives this week: US Sanctions Against Russian Oil Companies: Russian officials and state media outlets condemned US sanctions against Lukoil and Rosneft, two Russian oil companies, and threatened a reciprocal response against the West. Russian President Vladimir Putin promised that these sanctions “will not significantly affect the economic well-being of Russia” yet warned that “ prices will surge” across the world, including in the United States. TASS cited European Commission Spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, who cautioned that these sanctions may “partially affect” the EU’s energy securi
Securing Democracy Dispatch
Our Takes Public and private actors who work to counter foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) face a proliferating number of state and nonstate actors, new threat vectors, and increasing hostility toward counter-FIMI efforts. Civil servants and civil society must continue collaboration and efforts to change the terms of public debate over how these operations affect democratic freedoms, Managing Director David Salvo tells the London FIMI Forum. Hamilton 2.0 Analysis Russian diplomats and state media focused on two main narratives this week: Possible US-Russia Summit in Budapest: Russian officials and state media accused the West, but especially the EU, of un
David Salvo Discusses Countering Foreign Information Threats at London FIMI Forum
Managing Director David Salvo discussed ways to combat foreign information manipulation and interference in a changing global landscape at the fifth annual London FIMI Forum, hosted by the EU Delegation to the United Kingdom. [fusion_button link="https://youtu.be/RPRGlX0BU_I?si=lX-9dIjQ9tmv2zhs" title="" target="_self" link_attributes="" alignment_medium="" alignment_small="" alignment="" modal="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" sticky_display="normal,sticky" class="" id="" color="default" button_gradient_top_color_hover="" hue="" saturation="" lightness="" alpha="" button_gradient_top_color="" button_gradient_bottom_color_hover="" button_gradient_bo
Securing Democracy Dispatch
Hamilton 2.0 Analysis Russian diplomats and state media focused on two main narratives this week: Tomahawk Missiles for Ukraine: Russian officials strongly denounced news of a possible transfer of US Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the use of these weapons without the US military’s direct participation would be impossible and warned that their delivery would mark another phase of escalation between Russia and the United States. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blamed Ukraine for plotting terror attacks against Russia with Tomahawks and accused the West of “deliberately prolonging the conflict”. A
Securing Democracy Dispatch
Hamilton 2.0 Analysis Russian diplomats and state media focused on two main narratives this week: Blame Game over Ukraine: Russian messengers last week continued to cast blame on Europe for prolonging the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the “responsibility for the continuation of the conflict in Ukraine lies with Europe” and alleged that “the West does not care about” Ukrainians, instead believing that “all nations must be serfs to the lords of power”. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov remarked that the momentum for peace after the Alaska summit has been “exhausted” due to Western Europe’s desire to fight to “the last Ukrainian�