More reports are shining light on the Kremlin global disinformation ecosystem, which does not shy away from putting human lives in danger for petty power plays.
Experts at the French VIGINUM agency, known also for their earlier work related to the ‘Reliable Recent News’ or ‘Doppelgänger’ network, uncovered in their most recent report a pro-Kremlin disinformation network that they dubbed as ‘Portal Kombat’.
This exposed network is comprised of ‘information portals’ that broadcast pro-Kremlin takes on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, it denigrates the Ukrainian government in order to influence public opinion, particularly in France.
According to the VIGINUM report, the Kremlin-spun network consists of at least 193 websites that initially targeted Russian and Ukrainian audiences, but then re-oriented themselves to target Western countries after Russia launched a full-scale invasion. This network was also eventually used to target audiences in temporarily occupied territories in Ukraine.
Notably, the network does not produce original content, but massively amplifies Russian or pro-Kremlin sources, including Russian press agencies and official sites.
An old, but not a fond, acquaintance
A notable element of the network targeting French audiences is the pravda-fr.com site, which spreads ideologically oriented, misleading, manipulative, and polarising pro-Kremlin narratives.
We at EUvsDisinfo are no strangers to these modern day Pravdas, not to be mistaken with the original one. Their different language versions include, among others, English, German, Italian, Spanish, and Polish versions in addition to the previously mentioned French version. It is worth noting here that French and Spanish language platforms operated by pro-Kremlin networks are designed to reach audiences in countries across Africa and Latin America.
Our disinformation database has currently well over 100 reported disinformation cases across all language versions, with the Polish language Pravda-pl leading the pack.
Dangerous Kremlin disinformation plays in Africa
A recent revelation by the US Department of State’s Global Engagement Center brought to light a concerted effort by Russia’s intelligence services to bolster disinformation campaigns in Africa. Russian activities on the African continent is a topic that we also have covered in the past, for example in this video.
Under the disguise of a deceitfully named ‘African Initiative,’ a seemingly independent information agency focusing on Africa-Russia relations, Russia has been actively involved in spreading disinformation targeting the United States and European nations.
This operation not only involves Russian personnel, such as Chief Editor Artem Sergeyevich Kureyev, but has also enlisted journalists, bloggers, and local public figures in African countries to disseminate narratives aimed at improving Russia’s image while at the same time targeting Western efforts, particularly in the domain of public health.
Petty power plays cost real human lives
Worrisomely, the ‘African Initiative’ has launched campaigns to discredit US and Western health initiatives, spreading dangerous disinformation about mosquito-borne diseases and spreading conspiratorial material about Western pharmaceutical companies and philanthropical health organisations, thereby risking public health security across the continent.
As despicable it may be, the Russian information manipulation ecosystem does not shy away from weaponising public health, even if it may end result in innocent people losing their lives.
In our database, we have more than 1,000 reported cases linked to the health topic, and we have covered extensively how the Russian disinformation machinery has been mobilised to spread disinformation related to global Covid-19 pandemics and vaccines.
As a result of this coverage, we at EUvsDisinfo issued number of special reports, wrote several articles, and even issued a guide to support approaching people believing in dangerous anti-vaccine theories. All this to stop Kremlin reckless disinformation plays turning into many human lives lost.
Also blinking on our disinformation radar this week:
- The EU fears a trade war with Trump despite Biden having wrecked the EU’s economy. Decoding the Kremlin’s strategic intent doesn’t require psychic abilities, merely attention to the disinformation narratives being amplified by pro-Kremlin outlets. A key target for these manipulators is the bond between the transatlantic partners. Any false narratives that have potential to sour the relationship between the United States and the EU are favoured by pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets. Moreover, narratives absolving Russia of its actions, such as its unprovoked military aggression towards Ukraine, serve as a bonus for the disinformers in the Kremlin payroll. This tactic also illustrates the dual objectives of these disinformation campaigns: to weaken international alliances and to whitewash Russia’s global wrongdoings.
- Russia only wants to end the war started by Ukraine in 2014. ‘If you’re going to lie, lie big’ seems to be the number one guideline that pro-Kremlin propagandists follow in their work. However, the fact remains that the war in Ukraine began with the Russian illegal annexation of Crimea back in March 2014, and continued with direct Russian military involvement in Donbas. Even Putin himself admitted to Russia’s military presence in Ukraine during a press conference in 2015. Russia escalated the war with its full-scale military invasion that started in February 2022. Despite the facts, Russia continues to deploy a constant barrage of manipulations and outright lies to confuse and distract global audiences from the Kremlin’s culpability.
- The secret protocol to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact never existed. As our earlier analysis of Putin’s most recent ramblings suggest, his distortions of history liken him to a deranged uncle — the kind whose nonsensical tirades at family gatherings make him the last person anyone wants to invite. For an autocrat like him, history offers a standing invitation to rewrite it at will, and it is also a tool to employ for control and deception. By attempting to deny the existence of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact’s secret protocol, Kremlin ‘newspeakers’ try to obscure the fact that the Soviet Union was an aggressor which took part in a coordinated Nazi-Soviet campaign against Poland. The Soviet Union also planned together with Nazi-Germany the carving up of Eastern Europe. Such attempts not only falsify historical truth, but seek to undermine and avoid any accountability for these past actions. They give us an example of the strategic use of disinformation to reshape perceptions of the past.
