Prime Minister Vladimir Putin laughs as he and Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev, unseen, meet with their supporters in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin laughs as he and Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev, unseen, meet with their supporters in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, pool

Russian Disinformation Networks Detailed in New State Department Report

Several English-language websites working together to push Kremlin talking points during the COVID outbreak caught the eye of U.S trackers.

Russian disinformation appearing on English-language news websites spiked at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new State Department report that reveals new details about how pro-Russian websites work with one another to amplify specific stories and narratives.

Between February and April, sites that carry Russian disinformation and pro-Kremlin articles may have reached as many as 350,000 readers per article from one site alone. A new report from the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, which tracks foreign influence efforts, looks at how Russia uses a network of sites, and those sites’ affiliations with other online organizations, to spread misleading information or information that’s designed to amplify Kremlin talking points.

“Senior Russian officials and pro-Russian media sought to capitalize on the fear and confusion surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic by actively promulgating conspiracy theories. For example, they promoted conspiracy theories centered around false U.S. bioweapon infrastructure. We observed five of the seven outlets promoting this narrative across 30 articles. On 20 February, New Eastern Outlook published an article in both Russian and English claiming that the U.S. deployed a biological weapon against China,” notes the report released on Wednesday. 

The center’s findings echo previous findings on Russian disinformation tactics to spread false information and conspiracy theories around COVID-19 that Defense One has reported

Four outlets, Global Research (which the State Department has determined has the most reach), New Eastern Outlook, SouthFront, and Strategic Culture Foundation, shared 141 articles between two sites within the group during the period in question. “Of particular note, Global Research re-posted 50 videos originally published by SouthFront. Because of this pattern of cross-posting content, these four outlets formed an especially interconnected set of nodes within the broader network of the seven websites examined,” said the State Department, in its report. 

U.S. officials estimate the size of Global Research’s audience as more than 12 million visits during the review time, ) with more than 4 million visits for Southfront, one million for the Strategic Culture Foundation; and 540,000 for New Eastern Outlook. Some of the sites are more specific than others in terms of target audience, but there is overlap. SouthFront, for instance, “combines Kremlin talking points with detailed knowledge of military systems and ongoing conflicts. It attempts to appeal to military enthusiasts, veterans, and conspiracy theorists, all while going to great lengths to hide its connections to Russia,” whereas New Eastern Outlook shares content with the military-focused site Veterans Today, “whose managing editor said NEO has been a ‘wonderful partner’ and described their cooperation as ‘a marriage made in heaven,’” the report says. 

Michael Averko, who is listed as a contributor to the site Strategic Culture Foundation, also publishes in other sites and mainstream U.S. outlets, pushing pro-Kremlin talking points and working to undermine the bipartisan, intelligence community consensus on Russian interference in the 2016. He’s been paying particular attention to the candidacy of former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia Evelyn Farkas, who served under Obama and is running for Congress in New York’s 17th District. In addition to the Strategic Culture Foundation, Averko has also landed articles targeting Farkas in The Yonkers Tribune. In July, Averko received a visit from FBI agents who asked about links between the Strategic Culture Foundation and Russian Intelligence. “The only question I answered was on whether the SCF has any ties to Russian military intelligence. I answered by saying I can't say for sure and doubt it. I added that my impression is that the SCF comprises politically interested Russians, who want to be involved with the issues they cover. I added that if anyone has issues with my commentary, they should deal with it in a direct manner,” he said in an unsolicited email sent to Defense One and other recipients. (Defense One has not independently verified this claim.)

Cybersecurity company FireEye published a report on July 28 outlining a Russian disinformation group targeting eastern Europe that routinely poses as legitimate journalists, sometimes by stealing the password credentials for legitimate news sites and then posing disinformation. 

The extent of Russian disinformation going into the 2020 election remains hidden from the public, according to multiple lawmakers who have been briefed by U.S. intelligence officials. On Tuesday, senators were briefed on threats to the election during a classified session. Sen. Richard Blumentha, D-Conn, remarked on Twitter that he was “Shocked & appalled” by what he had seen. “From spying to sabotage, Americans need to see & hear these reports,” he said.

On Wednesday, the State Department announced that it was offering a $10 million bounty for  “information leading to the identification or location of any person who works with or for a foreign government for the purpose of interfering with U.S. elections through certain illegal cyber activities” through a program called Rewards for Justice.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.