Unsure – don’t read

Community leaders, government officials, and lawmakers in Russia are seeking ways to counter false information about events in Ukraine that has spread across the Russian internet. The Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation has identified 1.4 million fake news stories and estimated that over 1 billion rubles were spent on anti-Russian propaganda on social media. Meanwhile, senators are discussing potential measures to hold 'Western provocateurs' accountable online, State Duma deputies are preparing a bill to criminalize fake news related to the military, and the Russian government has launched its own portal for verified news.

The Civic Chamber (OP) of the Russian Federation's Commission for the Development of the Information Society, Media, and Mass Communications has been combatting fake news on the internet since 2020. On March 1, the commission presented fresh statistics on fake news about the Russian military operation in Ukraine at a round table. The first deputy head of the commission, Alexander Malkevich, warned that the work of social activists has increased significantly since the start of the operation, and it will take a long time to live in conditions of an 'information war'. Last Friday, the commission held an emergency meeting on a similar issue, during which its members categorized all fake news from Ukraine into several groups.

Mr. Malkevich noted that the number of fake news stories increased even before the start of the operation. In the two 'peaceful' months of 2022, the working group of the Presidential Office identified 20 thousand such messages, compared to 35 thousand for the whole of 2020, and about 90 thousand in 2021. Since the start of the operation in Ukraine, almost 1.4 million false news stories have been identified. Some of the information attacks are carried out from Ukraine, and the Presidential Office believes it's necessary to create a 'People's Cyber ​​Army of Russia' to combat this.

Ekaterina Mizulina, a member of the OP and director of the Safe Internet League, explained that information attacks include fake news, DDoS attacks, targeted advertising on social networks, and the use of bots to spread alarming information about deceased soldiers to Russians. These attacks primarily aim to create panic among people, encourage them to take to the streets, or prompt them to withdraw cash from ATMs. According to Ms. Mizulina, analysis of more than 11.6 million messages and comments in Russian-language accounts revealed that foreign sites such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Telegram, and the Russian network VKontakte were the main sources of fake news.

Moreover, the examination done at different locations discovered 1.3 thousand advertising campaigns reaching 60 million to 80 million people in Russia, as stated by Ekaterina Mizulina. These campaigns are managed by about 1,500 IT experts, and the advertising costs approximately $50,000 per day just for Russia. According to experts, over 1 billion rubles have already been spent on an information attack, and they anticipate the amount to increase. She cautioned all users to verify information from trustworthy sources.

Alexander Malkevich, on the other hand, encouraged Russians to preserve content that is important to them and get ready for "digital evacuation" from these platforms without waiting to be kicked out. Regarding Russia, he claimed that the BLM scenario has been initiated: they aim to manipulate social network users in Russia and transform them into a remorseful nation seeking forgiveness from the world for being large, wealthy, and resource-rich.

The protection of Russians from information attacks was also addressed on March 1 during a meeting of the Federation Council Commission for the Protection of State Sovereignty, where measures of accountability for "foreign instigators of war against Russia" were deliberated. Andrei Klimov, the head of the commission, lamented that some people in Russia are being continuously brainwashed by foreign media misinformation and social networks controlled by Washington. He highlighted that the Criminal Code includes two articles on this matter: art. 353 (planning and preparation for unleashing or waging a war of aggression) and Art. 354 (public calls for a war of aggression). Additionally, Art. 275 (high treason) was mentioned by the senators as a reminder to Russian citizens who are deliberately collaborating with foreign anti-Russian entities.

Oleg Gavrilov, Deputy Head of the Information and Press Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pointed out the "unacceptable behavior" of Google and Meta, whose platforms openly conduct hostile propaganda activities, block Russian media, and freely distribute false information. The diplomat suggested that establishing a system to hold foreign "instigators" accountable would greatly contribute to bolstering national security. Alexander Malkevich, also present at the meeting, urged legislators to empower Roskomnadzor and the Prosecutor General’s Office to combat "information saboteurs".

The issue of "harmful" content was also brought up by United Russia. According to its press service, State Duma Vice Speaker Anna Kuznetsova stated that videos depicting "Russian aggression" have appeared on platforms featuring children’s content, prompting the party to appeal to the Prosecutor General’s Office and Roskomnadzor to rid the children’s segment of the Runet of "anti-Russian aggression". Additionally, United Russia members of the Duma are preparing a bill on criminal penalties for spreading false information about the actions of the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Although it has not yet been submitted, Sergey Boyarsky, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Information Policy, mentioned on Rossiya 24 TV channel that it may be considered at the next meeting on March 4.

Finally, the Russian government is also concerned about the fight against fakes, but in a different way. On March 1, the White House announced the launch of the Explain.rf resource with verified information. According to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, it will work by analogy with the already well-known Stopcoronavirus portal.

Elena Rozhkova, Ksenia Veretennikova