Lest anyone think the Russian thugs are trapped in a sealed cage as a result of their war on Ukraine, this story from the Associated Press about their lying propaganda to Latin America should dispel that notion:
"Though Russia is the country that invaded its neighbor Ukraine, the Kremlin’s version relentlessly warns social media users across Latin America that the U.S. is the bigger problem.
'Never forget who is the real threat to the world,' reads a headline, translated here from Spanish. The article, originally posted in late February on Twitter by RT en Español, is intended for an audience half a world away from the fighting in Kyiv and Mariupol.
As that war rages, Russia is launching falsehoods into the feeds of Spanish-speaking social media users in nations that already have long records of distrusting the U.S. The aim is to gain support in those countries for the Kremlin’s war and stoke opposition against America’s response." (our emphasis)
The events of the last 5 weeks have exposed those kind of lies to most of the world, with the exception of Russian war criminal Putin's fans and imitators, including those in Central and South America with an old grudge against the U.S. That Russia's RT is in a leading role is no surprise for those who remember its obvious pro-Kremlin, pro-Trump tilt in broadcasts here:
"Russian outlet RT en Español is now the third most shared site on Twitter for Spanish-language information about Russia’s invasion.
'RT’s success should be concerning to anyone worried about the success of democracy,' said Samuel Woolley, a University of Texas professor who researches disinformation. 'RT is geared toward authoritarian control and, depending on the context, nationalism and xenophobia. What we risk is Russia gaining control of an increasingly large market share of eyeballs.'” (our emphasis)
The U.S. and its allies in Latin America need to step up their participation in the information war that Russia is actively involved in. We have the technology and international reach to cover and report on Russia's war crimes and lies far better than they can produce their transparent propaganda, so we should ramp it up.
(illustration: Erick Retana)
