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.

“Previously, if you were sitting in Moscow and you wanted to reach audiences sitting in, say, Idaho, you would have to work really hard doing that,” Elise says to the NYT, referring to disinformation campaigns back in the Soviety Union. “It would take you time to set up the systems, whereas now you can do it with the press of a button.”

When asked about the Kremlin’s strategy in justifying the invasion, Elise points to their tendency to go with ‘what works’, which as of recently is a narrative on US bio-labs within Ukrainian borders.

Elise Thomas is an OSINT Analyst at ISD, with a background in researching state-linked information operations, disinformation, conspiracy theories and the online dynamics of political movements.