By Derek Saul
The United States and its European allies are seeking to unveil Russia’s “disinformation manual” to prevent any Russian narrative amid fears that Vladimir Putin is about to launch an invasion of Ukraine, experts say.
President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg both warned on Thursday that Russia was trying to organize a false flag as a pretext for an invasion of Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Liz Tras wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning that Russia’s unsubstantiated allegations of a Ukrainian military strike in the Donbass region represent “a blatant attempt by the Russian government to fabricate a pretext for an invasion”. taken directly from the Kremlin handbook. ”
Olga Lautman, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told Forbes that the aggressive and direct invocation of Russian misinformation from the West was unprecedented, saying it was the first time she had seen the Kremlin “defend itself, they used to control the narrative”. “.
Jessica Bradt, policy director at the Brookings Institution, which studies Russia and misinformation, told Forbes: narration using true information “.
Both Bradt and Lautman pointed to the use of misinformation and false narratives by Russia during its invasion of Crimea in 2014 and its subsequent annexation, which was widely condemned by the international community.
Russia said Tuesday it had withdrawn some of its troops from the border with Ukraine, but the West was quick to point out the opposite: Biden said on Tuesday there were signs of an increase in troops following Russia’s announcement and an anonymous A U.S. intelligence official said Wednesday that the United States believes Russia has added 7,000 troops to its border forces. Russia says troops are withdrawing, although satellite imagery suggests a new Russian concentration near the border. Russia-backed separatist forces and Ukraine accused each other on Thursday of violating a ceasefire in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass. US State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Wednesday that the United States was aware of Russia’s plans to launch a fake military strike on Ukraine in Donbass, a propaganda effort he described as “completely untrue”. Biden said Thursday that “any indication” is that Russia will invade Ukraine in the “coming days.” The Kremlin denies having any plans to invade.
Bradt said she saw US and allied efforts to quickly disprove Russia’s propaganda plans – or even to get ahead of the news, as Price did – as a way to be “cautious and take control of the space.” “I think this is a way to deny this narrative to Putin and fill the void.”
The cyber-attacks on Tuesday shut down the websites of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and two banks, and Ukrainian officials have suggested that the attacks may have been of Russian origin, without explicitly blaming their neighbor. Ukraine-based cybersecurity expert Bob Dyachenko told Forbes that Tuesday’s cyberattacks could be a “preparation” for a larger operation. Bradt described the cyberattacks as another “instrument of authoritarian intervention” used in conjunction with Kremlin misinformation.
Source: Capital
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