Disarming Disinformation: Our Shared Responsibility
Last updated: October 20, 2023
“There is truth and there are lies. Lies told for power and for profit. And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders – leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation — to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.”
Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
President of the United States
Disinformation is one of the Kremlin’s most important and far-reaching weapons. Russia has operationalized the concept of perpetual adversarial competition in the information environment by encouraging the development of a disinformation and propaganda ecosystem. This ecosystem creates and spreads false narratives to strategically advance the Kremlin’s policy goals. There is no subject off-limits to this firehose of falsehoods. Everything from human rights and environmental policy to assassinations and civilian-killing bombing campaigns are fair targets in Russia’s malign playbook.
Truth disarms Russia’s disinformation weapons. The Kremlin creates and spreads disinformation in an attempt to confuse and overwhelm people about Russia’s real actions in Ukraine, Georgia, and elsewhere in Europe. Because the truth is not in the Kremlin’s favor, Russia’s intelligence services create, task, and influence websites that pretend to be news outlets to spread lies and sow discord. Disinformation is a quick and fairly cheap way to destabilize societies and set the stage for potential military action. Despite having been exposed for engaging in these malign activities countless times, Russia continues to work counter to international norms and global stability.
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New Releases
novemeber 07, 2023
The Kremlin’s Efforts to Covertly Spread Disinformation in Latin America
october 19, 2023
GEC Special Report—Exporting Pro-Kremlin Disinformation: The Case of Nova Resistência in Brazil
The Kremlin uses both open and hidden networks to manipulate information and spread anti-democratic, authoritarian ideologies around the world. This report focuses on Nova Resistência, a neo-fascist, pro-authoritarian group in Brazil with close ties to U.S.-sanctioned fascist Russian philosopher Aleksandr Dugin. Nova Resistência, its “sister” groups of New Resistance, and its overall network use Kremlin disinformation and propaganda to attempt to destabilize democracies, engage in support for revanchist military activity through quasi-paramilitary groups, and upend the rules-based international order.
The report is also available in Portuguese and Spanish
August 24, 2023
The Kremlin’s War Against Ukraine’s Children
The Kremlin appears determined to erase Ukraine’s existence as a state by attempting to rob it of its future. To deflect responsibility, Russia disseminates disinformation and propaganda attempting to distort its abuses as “humanitarian” gestures. Russia also conducts disinformation and propaganda-filled activities aimed at brainwashing children in Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine or children from Ukraine it deports to Russia into believing that the Kremlin is saving them from a “Nazi regime in Kyiv.” Accountability is imperative.
This bulletin is also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Hindi, Persian, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Urdu.
In the aftermath of Moscow’s July 2023 withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the Kremlin continues to distort data, deny facts, and manipulate math attempting to perpetuate five false myths. Russia’s disinformation myths cannot hide the hard truths that (1) sanctions did not apply to Russia’s grain, (2) Ukraine’s grain is critical to getting adequate food to low-income countries, (3) Russia cannot replace Ukraine’s grain supply, (4) the Kremlin is on track to destroy more grain than it has offered to donate, and (5) every day more Russian missiles and drones intentionally target the vital pipeline that provides Ukraine’s grain to the rest of the world and keeps food prices stable.
This bulletin is also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Ukrainian and Urdu.
Reports
october 19, 2023
GEC Special Report—Exporting Pro-Kremlin Disinformation: The Case of Nova Resistência in Brazil
The Kremlin uses both open and hidden networks to manipulate information and spread anti-democratic, authoritarian ideologies around the world. This report focuses on Nova Resistência, a neo-fascist, pro-authoritarian group in Brazil with close ties to U.S.-sanctioned fascist Russian philosopher Aleksandr Dugin. Nova Resistência, its “sister” groups of New Resistance, and its overall network use Kremlin disinformation and propaganda to attempt to destabilize democracies, engage in support for revanchist military activity through quasi-paramilitary groups, and upend the rules-based international order.
The report is also available in Portuguese and Spanish
February 23, 2023
Disinformation Roulette: The Kremlin’s Year of Lies to Justify an Unjustifiable War
Over the year of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin deployed a disinformation roulette of false narratives to deceive the world about the Kremlin’s neo-imperial intentions and attempt to justify an unjustifiable war. The Kremlin routinely changed its false claims to distract from its battlefield failures and political isolation. From NATO “encirclement” and “genocide against Donbas” to “denazification,” to “desatanization,” and “defending Russia’s sovereignty,” these false rhetorical contortions serve one goal — to mask Russia’s apparent effort to erase the sovereign, independent state of Ukraine from the map and subjugate its people.
The Kremlin’s spreading of unfounded and debunked allegations that the United States and Ukraine are conducting chemical and biological weapons activities in Ukraine is part of a well-established Russian disinformation tactic. The Kremlin has a long track record of accusing others of the very violations they commit.
January 20, 2022
Kremlin-Funded Media: RT and Sputnik’s Role in Russia’s Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem
Russian state-owned and state-directed media, such as RT and Sputnik play a crucial role in how Russia uses disinformation to advance its foreign policy. These state-funded, and state-directed outlets disseminate Russian narratives to foreign audiences, and regularly amplify content from the other pillars of Russia’s disinformation ecosystem, including websites associated with Russia’s intelligence services. The State Department’s Global Engagement Center’s “Kremlin-Funded Media: RT and Sputnik’s Role in Russia’s Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem” report exposes Kremlin-controlled organizations that masquerade as independent media.
The report is also available in Arabic [3 MB], Chinese [3 MB], French [4 MB], German [1 MB] Persian [3 MB], Portuguese [4 MB], Russian [3 MB], Spanish [3 MB], and Urdu [3 MB].
The State Department’s Global Engagement Center released the “Pillars of Russia’s Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem” report in August 2020. The report outlines the five pillars of Russia’s disinformation and propaganda ecosystem and how these pillars work together to create a media multiplier effect. In particular, it details how the tactics of one pillar, proxy sources, interact with one another to elevate malicious content and create an illusion of credibility. The report is also available in French [7 MB], Spanish , Portuguese , Russian and Arabic .
Statements
June 28, 2022
FACT SHEET: President Biden and G7 Leaders Announce Further Efforts to Counter Putin’s Attack on Food Security
Additional Resources from Allies and Partners
