Infoguerre

On 5 November, Moldova held the first round of local elections during a tumultuous period. Disinformation sources focused on discrediting pro-European authorities and candidates, as well as Moldova’s development partners. Pro-Kremlin sources rolled out Russophobia, an important tool of propaganda and disinformation in Moldova. On the eve of the elections, Moldovan authorities took a series of drastic measures to combat disinformation, including banning television channels and blocking websites. Ever since its pro-European government was formed more than two years ago, Moldova has become a top target of Russian disinformation and hybrid attacks. Top topics include the country’s energy dependency or tensions with the Transnistrian region. Throughout this period, Moldovan authorities have taken numerous measures to combat such disinformation. […]

Pro-Kremlin disinformation blurs the line between the digital realm and physical space, amplifying online images of graffiti to fuel offline anti-Semitism while trying to provoke discord and turmoil. When we think about countering pro-Kremlin information manipulation and disinformation, we sometimes fall into the trap of equating the information space with the vast digital realm. Admittedly, since the dawn of the World Wide Web, the digital realm has become a crucial and life-altering part of the information space. However, when it comes to purposeful attempts to manipulate the information space, the boundaries between the digital and the physical can sometimes be blurred. This week, let’s zoom in on a telling example of how this intersection can be exploited for deceitful and manipulative purposes. […]

Exposing Russia as a colonial fascist empire with a history of organized terrorism following a well-established formula is first and foremost about justice says Maksym Eristavi., a Ukrainian journalist and writer who founded the Volya Hub. But it’s also about stopping the popular talk that ‘this is Putin’s war and Russians are victims too.’ It’s about exposing that Russia has always been like this and will remain so unless it faces accountability. But, to quote Shuhada’ Sadaqat (originally known as Sinéad O’Connor, a legend of anti-colonial art), before there’s justice, there must be knowledge and understanding. Until the world stops ignoring the problem of Russian colonialism, regimes and generations in Russia will keep changing, but Russian fascism will keep terrorizing neighboring societies, like mine. […]

Pro-Kremlin outlets try to turn the main focus onto the Israel-Hamas war while talking up ‘Ukraine fatigue in the West’. They are almost silent about Russia’s atrocious bombardments in Ukraine, Black Sea grain issues, and Nagorno-Karabakh… Russian state outlets have a years-long propensity to focus on how bad the situation is outside Russia, apparently wanting to inoculate Russian society against inspiration from liberal democracies. Now, as the new reality of a protracted war against Ukraine is sinking in throughout Russia, every outside crisis is welcome. No wonder, then, that the Israel-Hamas war and its wider implications are taking centre stage for Moscow’s media machine. The (last) The narrative is now that the conflict in Gaza will consume all the West’s political and military attention and that the UN cannot react(opens in a new tab) due to Western obstruction. […]

Information manipulation and interference is not a novel phenomenon but one that has escalated in the digital age across the world including in Africa. Trends show that this information disorder is present in both offline and online networks, which also feed into each other. The spread of Foreign Information Manipu-lation and Interference (FIMI) and disinformation also escalates during periods that attract heightened public debate such as elections and incidences of unrest. … As in other continents, many African countries are experiencing a downward trend in freedom of expression and access to information. Both state and non-state actors abuse human rights despite existing frameworks protecting freedom of expression and access to information. […]

While rumors circulate about the Kremlin’s crypt-keeper chilling in a deep freeze, violent mobs in Daghestan attempted a pogrom-like attack. Mean-while, EUvsDiSiNFO database edges over 16,000 cases of unceasing pro-Kremlin disinformation. For the moment, the Russian disinformation ecosystem appears to have resigned to leave the tales of frozen people in an internal deep freeze, perhaps hoping to thaw them one day. As for now, they are concentrating their efforts on other, if nevertheless familiar, narratives. Moscow has cozied up to Hamas terrorists(opens in a new tab) and spread disin-formation about Hamas’ attack on Israel. These actions beg the question whether the anti-semitic outburst in Daghestan is a warning sign of the chickens coming home to roost. Moscow might be unable to control the situation as the war in Ukraine continues to drain Russian security forces. […]

Pro-Kremlin disinformation praises Russia’s real or imaginary friends, attempts to placate people at home, distracts from Russia’s quagmire in Ukraine, blames the West for all the worlds’ ills, and spews conspiracy theories and doomsday prophecies. As Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues, pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets are desperate to diversify their palate with any topics that could draw the focus away from Russia’s quagmire in Ukrainian territory. The world is seized by uncertainty and the Kremlin seeks to exploit these tumultuous times to spread its disinformation, distractions, and deceit. This week, we can narrow down the Kremlin’s disinformation stories to two main axioms. First, life in Russia is better than ever and it is surrounded by friends who unflinchingly support the Kremlin. Second, everything that the ‘evil West’ touches turns to dust. Hence, its downfall is inevitable. […]

Le Kremlin a de nombreuses étiquettes pour désigner ses ennemis réels et inventés. Il traite certains d’entre eux de nazis. Il en qualifie d’autres de sombres «élites mondiales». Parfois, il s’en prend aux bureaucrates de Bruxelles. Souvent, les experts de la désinformation pro-Kremlin frappent en dessous de la ceinture dans le but de diaboliser leurs adversaires. Le Kremlin ne s’en cache pas. Si vous ne soutenez pas la vision qu’a Poutine pour son pays, alors vous êtes très probablement un défenseur décadent et fier de l’être de la communauté LGBTIQ+. Et LGBTIQ+ est presque toujours synonyme de dégradation morale dans la vision déformée du monde qu’a le Kremlin. […]

Attacks against the EU’s critical infrastructure saw the pro-Kremlin creative juices flowing, and remorseless propagandists leave no human tragedies in peace. Last week, the Finnish authorities reported that Balticconnector, a gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia(, was ruptured, likely because of an ‘external activity.’( Related to this incident, in addition to factual reporting, the pro-Kremlin ecosystem started circulating a number of narratives resembling those utilised earlier in relation to the explosions of the Nord Stream pipelines. Hamas’ attack against Israel continues to stir interest in pro-Kremlin disinformation circles, as the disinformers attempt to capitalise on human suffering by attaching their false narratives to the tragic events unfolding. […]

On Saturday 7 October, Hamas launched multiple and indiscriminate attacks against Israel. After this deadly incursion of Hamas, top-ranking Kremlin officials went on an information offensive and tried to pin fault for the escalation on the West. While the EU and many countries across the world immediately condemned the terrorist incursions. Russia’s official statement was ambiguous. Worse still, several top-ranking Kremlin officials went on an information manipulation offensive and tried to pin fault for the escalation on the West. In addition, pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets did not hesitate to cynically use these horrid assaults to draw a false parallel between Hamas and Ukraine. […]