Vladimir Putin’s regime in Russia has been a trailblazer in globalizing state propaganda. It continues to leverage pro-Kremlin reporting around the world, particularly in neighboring countries with Russian-speaking populations. Rebroadcasts of state-controlled Russian television programming, alongside the made-to-export content of the state-owned outlets RT and Sputnik, fuel distortion campaigns in much of the former Soviet space, warping perceptions of current and historical events and funneling trust away from domestic authorities. In a tense security environment, the region’s beleaguered democratic governments have mostly reacted with kneejerk restrictions, curbing the operations of or access to a number of Russian outlets. These tensions are most pronounced in Ukraine, where the Kremlin’s propaganda drive—aimed at controlling the narratives on Crimea and Donbas as well as perceptions of Russia and the West—is attempting to undermine the country’s sovereignty and the legitimacy of its institutions.
However, the past year’s events have underscored the fact that Russian media interference is not limited to the production of propagandistic content aimed at Eastern Europe and Eurasia. As part of their effort to manipulate the U.S. presidential election, Russian intelligence agencies reportedly created front entities and personas to feed stolen Democratic Party documents to U.S. journalists and bloggers, effectively using local outlets to advance their strategic agenda. Russian agencies have also been accused of building networks of artificial social media accounts to amplify certain stories among U.S. audiences. Based on Russian outlets’ coverage of the French presidential campaign in early 2017, European governments have expressed fears that these and other tactics are being used to influence other upcoming elections across the continent.
