Russian Disinformation Efforts On Social Media
Abstract
Russia is waging wide-reaching information warfare with the West. A significant part of this war takes place on social media, which Russia employs to spread disinformation and to interfere with the internal politics of other countries. Drawing on a variety of primary and secondary sources, expert interviews, and fieldwork in Ukraine, the report describes Russias information warfare in the social media sphere (as of 2019) and provides recommendations to better counter this evolving threat. Moscow views social media as a double-edged sword anxious about its potential to undermine Russias security but aware of its advantages as a weapon of asymmetric warfare. Russias use of this weapon picked up most markedly in 2014, suggesting a reaction to the Wests response to the Ukraine conflict. Although popular portrayals of the Russian disinformation machine at times imply an organized and well-resourced operation, evidence suggests that it is neither. However, even with relatively modest investments, Russian social media activity has been wide-reaching. The impacts of Russias efforts on the Westand of Western countermeasures on Russiaare difficult to assess. However, this threat can cause a variety of harms and is likely to evolve. Thus, the authors recommend that the U.S. Air Force and the joint force improve defensive measures aimed at raising awareness and lowering the susceptibility of the military and their families to Russian disinformation and propaganda campaigns.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 07, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1170898
Entities
People
- Elina Treyger
- Joe Cheravitch
- Raphael S. Cohen
Organizations
- RAND Corporation