ISD is covering the Russia-Ukraine War across all of our areas of expertise. This page will be regularly updated with our latest analysis.

A list of reports and resources ISD has previously produced on disinformation, information operations and state-linked online assets can be found at the bottom of this page.

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Coverage

⇒ Implementation and Impact of the RT and Sputnik Ban on French Online Ecosystems. This Dispatch looks at the impact of the RT and Sputnik bans on French social media, including the response of online fringe communities and proxies.
⇒ Banning RT and Sputnik Across Europe: What Does it Hold for the Future of Platform Regulation? This Dispatch looks at the recent developments in digital policy, offering recommendations for platforms and governments responding to propaganda and disinformation.
⇒ Russia-Ukraine War Sparks Influx of Disinformation in German-language Conspiracy Groups. ISD looks at how far-right channels, groups and pages on Telegram and Facebook have addressed the Russia-Ukraine War by looking at the narratives shared and domains amplified.
⇒ Pro-Chinese Communist Party Twitter Network Mobilises to Defend Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine. ISD has discovered Twitter accounts aligned with the Chinese Communist Party that appear to be inauthentic, spreading and amplifying disinformation about the war in Ukraine.
⇒ In the Midst of an Election, Hungarian State-Linked Media Pushes pro-Kremlin Narratives Surrounding the Invasion of Ukraine. This Dispatch looks at how Hungarian state-linked media is echoing and amplifying pro-Kremlin narratives, despite the country siding with Western allies’ efforts against Russia.
⇒ QAnon goes to China – via Russia. This Dispatch looks at the shift that appears to be underway in QAnon conspiracy communities as China’s president Xi Jinping is recast from villain to hero.
⇒ How Russian State-Controlled Media and its Supporters are Circumventing Restrictions. This Dispatch looks at how both RT DE and its followers have circumvented censorship, while RT DE’s following has grown on alternative platforms like Odysee and VK.com.
⇒ Hashtag Pairing is Being Used on Twitter to Facilitate Soviet Propaganda Tactic ‘Whataboutism’. This Dispatch analyses how hashtags are being used to facilitate the Soviet propaganda tactic ‘whataboutism’ to support and amplify pro-Kremlin content.
⇒ Why Western conspiracy influencers are promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda. In this Dispatch, Elise Thomas explains why Western conspiracy communities on Telegram are promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda about the Russia-Ukraine war.
⇒ #IstandwithRussia – Anatomy of a Pro-Kremlin Influence Operation.  In this Dispatch, Carl Miller and Dr Jeremy Reffin outline what we can learn from a pro-Kremlin influence operation detected on Twitter, to help us spot the next one.
⇒ Support from the Conspiracy Corner: German-Language Disinformation about the Russian Invasion of Ukraine on Telegram.  In this Dispatch, ISD analysts examine how Ukraine-related disinformation from Russian state-backed sources is spreading without restriction in German-Language Telegram channels and groups.
⇒ #Propaganda: Russia State-Controlled Media Flood TikTok With Ukraine Disinformation. This Dispatch explores how Russian state-controlled or state-affiliated news organisations are using TikTok to spread misinformation and push Kremlin disinformation narratives.
⇒ German-Language Disinformation about the Russian Invasion of Ukraine on Facebook. This Digital Dispatch shares several trends ISD analysts observed in German-language Facebook groups during the days prior to and immediately after Russia’s invasion.

Commentary

⇒ Ciarán O’Connor on the different sides of the information war between Russia and Ukraine. Ciarán appeared on Oireachtas Debates, a show on an Irish public service broadcaster, as part of a panel interview discussing the war in Ukraine and spread of disinformation around the invasion, and misleading information from pro-Ukrainian parties.
⇒ The far-right’s splitting view of the Russia-Ukraine War. Tim Squirrell, ISD’s Head of Communications, spoke with UnHerd about the far-right’s splitting view of the Russia-Ukraine War, the “Balkanistation” of the ecosystem and the appeal of conspiracies in moments of human crises.
⇒ Can the war in Ukraine breed ‘compassion’ toward non-European refugees? The war in Ukraine has caused over three million people to flee their homes, Jasmine El-Gamal has authored an op-ed for the Arab Weekly about the future of refugee interventions.
⇒ TikTok snubs researchers while disinformation spreads. ISD’s Ciarán O’Connor has shared insights and concerns over the role of Tiktok in spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda in an op-ed for Business Insider.
⇒ ‘Actors with disproportionate power’ vital to combatting disinformation. ISD’s Jiore Craig was interviewed on Russian disinformation by NBC Nightly News, where she discussed the role of powerful actors in curbing the spread of disinformation.
⇒ Debunked TikTok video is weaponised by Kremlin propaganda to instill fear in Russians everywhere. Analysis by Julia Smirnova was featured by the Washington Post, it looks at a viral Tiktok video spreading misinformation about violence directed at Russians in Germany.
⇒ It’s never been so easy for Russia to wage an information war. ISD researcher Elise Thomas features in an article for the New York Times, where she reminds us that Russia has always executed information attacks, but it’s never been as easy as it is now in the age of the Internet and smart phones.
⇒ Sasha Havlicek speaks to Radio 4’s Today programme on enforcing the West’s red lines against Putin. ISD’s CEO, Sasha Havlicek, appeared on Radio 4’s flagship news and current affairs programme, Today, to discuss the last two decades of Western response to Vladimir Putin.
⇒ Wartime information campaigns: why we should hold off on declaring a winner in Russia VS Ukraine. ISD researcher Elise Thomas shares some insight with investigative magazine Mother Jones about her research surrounding the ongoing information battle between Russia and Ukraine.
⇒ Tim Squirrell on Russia’s response to Meta relaxing hate speech policy against Putin. Tim Squirrell, ISD’s Head of Communications and Editorial, appeared on Al Jazeera’s Inside Story to discuss changes to Meta’s content moderation policy temporarily allowing users in some countries to incite violence against Russian soldiers.
⇒ Sasha Havlicek on the battle against Russia: “There are seeds of hope, if we can sustain it.” ISD’s CEO joins Sky News’ ‘The Great Debate’ during primetime as a panelist, debating the question: Can the West stop Vladimir Putin?
⇒ Ciarán O’Connor: TikTok is at the forefront of Russia’s propaganda war. Ciarán speaks with AP News about the significance of TikTok in Russia’s information war.
⇒ Telegram falls behind in following EU ban on Russian-state media. ISD analyst and Russia expert Julia Smirnova speaks with POLITICO on how far-right activity on Telegram has increasingly included the sharing of content from now-banned RT.
⇒ Putin’s “infowar” over Ukraine creates a “perfect environment” for fake content. ISD’s Julia Smirnova features in a podcast with renowned German newspaper FAZ about deliberate false reporting during the war in Ukraine.

Resources

⇒ The 101 of Disinformation Detection. This toolkit lays out an approach that organisations can undertake to begin to track online disinformation on subjects that they care about. The process is intended to have a very low barrier to entry, with each stage achievable using either over-the-counter or free-to-use social media analysis tools.
⇒ The Case of News Front: How Influence Operations Travel Across the Internet. This investigation study examines the inner workings of a Crimean-based news organisation previously accused of being a source of pro-Kremlin disinformation and influence operations. It sheds light on the long tail of state-linked online assets.
⇒ What’s new (and What’s not) with News Front. This Dispatch details how, despite having been banned from Facebook in 2020, pro-Kremlin propaganda outlet News Front has been able to return to the platform for at least a third time without any significant innovation in its tactics or operation.