Russia’s internet disinformation efforts go far beyond election interference. Civil servants talk to the Wall Street Journal says Russia is conducting a disinformation campaign with at least four online publications and a number of social media accounts to shake confidence in COVID-19 vaccines competing with Sputnik-V. The outlets New Eastern Outlook, News front, Oriental overview and Rebel are all cast unfounded doubts about vaccines like Pfizer’s, falsely calling mRNA delivery a ‘radical experimental technology’ that was dangerous and less effective.
According to one US official, all four websites were “directly” linked to Russian agencies such as the FSB security service and SVR foreign intelligence. Social accounts linked to these publications were mostly drawn, although some of their non-English accounts were already active in early 2021.
The State Department acknowledged the conclusions in a statement to the WSJ, but did not provide direct evidence linking the sites to the Russian government. It was a ‘joint interpersonal’ finding that Russia bears ‘direct responsibility’ for spreading falsehoods, the representative said. Russia has denied the allegations in its own response, but it also has a long history of denying misinformation and burglary campaigns despite strong evidence.
Russian leaders have a strong incentive to attack competing vaccines. The country clearly hopes that the sales of Sputnik-V will boost, but believes that it will also use the vaccine to exert worldwide influence. A country willing to buy these surveys, for example, may be receptive to other Russian transactions.
The US can not do much to close the sites themselves when it is foreign owned and operated. Nevertheless, the findings could easily increase the pressure on the US government and social networks to crack down on the wrong information against vaccines. Just like conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19, the false vaccine allegations can be really dangerous, leading to people skipping life-saving shots or even attacking agencies that spread and promote vaccinations.