Disinformation Archives - ICDS

Disinformation

Distance is Not a Shield. Russia’s Transnational Repression in Wartime

The transnational repression toolkit that the Kremlin employs to target its citizens abroad is wide, and the international connections exploited are many. The latent threat of repression even while abroad means that distance is no barrier against the Kremlin. While cases of assassination remain controversial, cases of Russian transnational coercion, delegitimisation, blacklisting, coerced returns, and surveillance are routinely documented by human rights organisations and the press.

Featured, Publications

Russia’s Self-Serving Aid Policy: Influence, Opacity, and Propaganda

Discussions on international development assistance tend to contemplate the role of colonial legacies and the power imbalances between donors and recipients. Russian humanitarian aid and development cooperation stands out in this debate, as Moscow uses aid as part of its aggressive foreign policy based on spheres of influence.

Publications

Russian Malign Activities in France Since 2022: Stoking Tensions, Sowing Disorder, Disrupting Assistance to Ukraine

Since 24 February 2022, Russia has waged a full-scale war against Ukraine. Moscow adjusted its repertoire of actions, targeting the west through malign activities and interference aiming to undermine support for Kyiv.

Publications

Russia’s War in Ukraine: Russia’s Attempts to Undermine Mobilisation

Russia conducts information and psychological operations to undermine and discredit Ukraine’s mobilisation, damage the morale of Ukrainian citizens, and weaken their willingness to defend their state. In support of these efforts, the Russian military and special services distribute both real and fake photographs and video content on social networks. In addition, the Russian special services use current and former male citizens of Ukraine who have voluntarily switched sides to produce malign content. The recent discussions about and promulgation of new laws related to Ukraine’s mobilisation have offered Russia further opportunities to spread disinformation.

Commentary

“The Alliance’s main tasks are to support Ukraine’s right to self-defence and prevent escalation. That is what we are doing.”

The Alliance’s main tasks are to support Ukraine’s right to self-defence and prevent escalation. That is what we are doing, tells Vineta Kleine, Head of the NATO Information and Documentation Centre in Kyiv in an interview to Diplomaatia.

Publications

From Shadows to Spotlight: The Kremlin’s Not-So-Covert Gambit for Ukraine

The war in Ukraine is yet to exhibit a conclusive imbalance of forces and means. What we are witnessing today is the result of a cluster of Russian intelligence failures.

Publications

Resilience Against Disinformation: A New Baltic Way to Follow?

The Baltic states, although not immune to disinformation, have accumulated unique experience and developed effective methods to resist and combat this malice.

News

10 Briefs on Russia’s War in Ukraine

Russia’s war in Ukraine has undoubtedly been game-changing for Europe’s security, challenging the long-held beliefs and assumptions of many Western nations and prompting dramatic shifts in policy, for example, in Germany, Finland, and Sweden. The war’s conduct has also produced significant surprises, not least the unexpectedly poor performance of Russia’s supposedly reformed military.