Russia leveraged hurricane disinformation to deepen U.S. divisions
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Russia helped propagate disinformation about Hurricanes Helene and Milton in order to deepen political divisions in the U.S. and undermine America's support for Ukraine, according to a new analysis.
Why it matters: The findings underscore Russia's ability to manipulate political discourse in the U.S. The study noted that Kremlin-backed actors appear to be stepping up their efforts in the final stretch of the U.S. presidential race.
Driving the news: The disinformation was spread largely "unchecked" on social media by Russian state media accounts and pro-Kremlin networks, according to the new analysis from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
- The misleading posts advanced several divisive narratives, including using U.S. support for Ukraine to paint the government as prioritizing Ukrainians over Americans.
- The campaign also sought to portray the Biden administration as incompetent or corrupt, and FEMA as unable to provide adequate assistance because of the government's purported support for immigrants.
State of play: While Russian sources helped promote these narratives, they often originated from U.S. domestic sources, including public figures like Elon Musk and former President Trump, the study found.
- Exploiting narratives already circulating in the U.S. in on par with Russia's strategy of "amplifying divisive domestic issues to weaken public trust in institutions, diminish support for US global engagements and ultimately undermine the stability of liberal democracies," the think tank noted.
- By tying the FEMA response to Ukraine, Russia aims to paint U.S. support for its adversary as "actively harmful to US citizens."
The big picture: FEMA warned earlier this month than an avalanche of mis- and disinformation surrounding the recent hurricanes was impeding federal response efforts.
- Meteorologists around the country found themselves battling threats and conspiracy theories in the wake of the devastating hurricanes.
- That was due, in part, to false assertions that the government was controlling the weather, a conspiracy that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) helped spread.
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