Russian disinformation aims to drive wedge between US, Ukraine

Washington: As President Joe Biden uses his final days in office to boost Ukraine’s defences, Russia is playing a different game: spreading disinformation aimed at eroding US support for Ukraine before Donald Trump’s return to the White House next month. Since the US election on November 5, the Kremlin has used state-run media and its networks of fake news sites and social media accounts to push divisive narratives about the war and America’s Republican president-elect.

Analysts say the content, translated into English for American audiences, is intended to turn sentiment against Ukraine at a pivotal time, with the hope of reducing US military assistance and ensuring a Russian victory.

Recent examples include fake videos supposedly showing Ukrainian soldiers burning effigies of Trump or his supporters. One clip depicts soldiers saying Trump must not be allowed to take office and should “never be president again.” Multiple researchers have debunked the video, noting telltale signs of digital manipulation. A different video claims to show Ukrainian soldiers firing at a mannequin wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat and a Trump campaign shirt. That video was analysed and determined to be fake by private analysts and Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, a government agency that tracks Kremlin propaganda.

Other versions — just as fake — depict Ukrainian soldiers burning Trump’s books or calling him a coward. In the weeks after the election, the clips spread far beyond Ukraine and Russia, circulating among

Trump supporters and believers in QAnon, the conspiracy theory that claims Trump is fighting a war against

a Satanic cabal of powerful world leaders.

It’s part of Russia’s continued push to divide Americans over the nearly 3-year war in Ukraine and paint Ukrainians as unreliable, dishonest allies, according to analysts.