Russians carried out an anti-NATO fake news and disinformation campaign in the past two years, according to a comprehensive study.
Russia’s propaganda machine reportedly extends far beyond its allegedinterference in the U.S. elections. It also took “active measures” to exert “covert influence” on public opinion and decision making in Sweden, according to areport the Swedish Institute of International Affairs released last week.
Experts determined that a series of forged letters, fake news items and disinformation tactics have peppered the Swedish information landscape since 2014, after the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The move created what the report called a “deteriorated security situation in the wider Baltic region.”
More specifically, a handful of pro-Kremlin non-governmental organizations have emerged in the country in the past two years, said the study, titled “Russia’s strategy for influence through public diplomacy and active measures: the Swedish case.”
Social media research indicated “troll armies are targeting journalists and academics, including the ‘hijacking’ of Twitter accounts.”
Agents for Russia also deliberately spread misinformation via Russian-owned news websites including Sputnik, which ran a Swedish language site between 2015 and 2016, the report found.
Researchers trawled through almost 4,000 articles on Sputnik’s Swedish site and determined that the most common themes they found in pieces were anti-NATO and pro-Russia ― “Crisis in the West,” “Positive image of Russia” and “Western aggressiveness” to name a few.
More: Russia Spread Fake News And Disinformation In Sweden, Report Finds
Wow, Putin really gets around. Time to nip him in the bud.
Russia’s propaganda machine reportedly extends far beyond its allegedinterference in the U.S. elections. It also took “active measures” to exert “covert influence” on public opinion and decision making in Sweden, according to areport the Swedish Institute of International Affairs released last week.
Experts determined that a series of forged letters, fake news items and disinformation tactics have peppered the Swedish information landscape since 2014, after the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The move created what the report called a “deteriorated security situation in the wider Baltic region.”
More specifically, a handful of pro-Kremlin non-governmental organizations have emerged in the country in the past two years, said the study, titled “Russia’s strategy for influence through public diplomacy and active measures: the Swedish case.”
Social media research indicated “troll armies are targeting journalists and academics, including the ‘hijacking’ of Twitter accounts.”
Agents for Russia also deliberately spread misinformation via Russian-owned news websites including Sputnik, which ran a Swedish language site between 2015 and 2016, the report found.
Researchers trawled through almost 4,000 articles on Sputnik’s Swedish site and determined that the most common themes they found in pieces were anti-NATO and pro-Russia ― “Crisis in the West,” “Positive image of Russia” and “Western aggressiveness” to name a few.
More: Russia Spread Fake News And Disinformation In Sweden, Report Finds
Wow, Putin really gets around. Time to nip him in the bud.
