Posted on Feb 9, 2022
As Russia threatens Ukraine, the U.S. 'pre-bunks' Russian propaganda
1.51K
12
2
5
5
0
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/08/ [login to see] /as-russia-threatens-ukraine-the-u-s-pre-bunks-russian-propaganda
The Biden administration says it doesn't know whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin will invade Ukraine with the more than 100,000 troops he's amassed near their shared border.
But Biden's national security team says a Russian disinformation campaign is already well underway. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby recently outlined what he described as a Russian plan to create a phony video that could be used as a pretext for a Russian invasion.
"As part of this fake attack, we believe that Russia would produce a very graphic propaganda video, which would include corpses, and actors that would be depicting mourners."
In a similar vein, Britain recently announced that Russia might try to stage a coup in Ukraine and install a leader friendly to the Kremlin — who could then "invite" Russian troops into the country.
The Biden administration says it doesn't know whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin will invade Ukraine with the more than 100,000 troops he's amassed near their shared border.
But Biden's national security team says a Russian disinformation campaign is already well underway. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby recently outlined what he described as a Russian plan to create a phony video that could be used as a pretext for a Russian invasion.
"As part of this fake attack, we believe that Russia would produce a very graphic propaganda video, which would include corpses, and actors that would be depicting mourners."
In a similar vein, Britain recently announced that Russia might try to stage a coup in Ukraine and install a leader friendly to the Kremlin — who could then "invite" Russian troops into the country.
As Russia threatens Ukraine, the U.S. 'pre-bunks' Russian propaganda
Posted from npr.org
Russia
Ukraine
Propaganda
Pentagon
Video
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 1
5
5
0
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."This kind of intelligence usually remains secret, but the U.S. and its allies have clearly made a decision to go public.
"This could potentially be called pre-bunking," said Nina Jankowicz, who's with the Wilson Center in Washington and the author of How To Lose the Information War: Russia, Fake News, and the Future of Conflict.
"Rather than debunking, the (U.S. and British) governments are getting ahead of a potential Russian narrative and attempting to pre-bunk it with this intelligence that they've been declassifying," she said.
The U.S. and British governments have presented this information without offering proof. They say they can't reveal their sources and methods for obtaining it.
This has led to some skepticism. Critics note the U.S. failed to predict the rapid collapse of the Afghan government last year. And the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 on the false premise that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.
"I know that a lot of people will intuitively, instinctively say, 'Well, U.S. intelligence has gotten major things wrong in the past,'" said Professor Thomas Rid, who studies disinformation at Johns Hopkins University.
He thinks the U.S. and Britain have provided enough information to make their case in this instance.
"It appears that the U.S. intelligence community, with the United Kingdom and others, have very good visibility into Russian planning, because otherwise they wouldn't be able to reveal those details," said Rid, the author of Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare.
"Russia has a history of literally more than 100 years of systematic, well-funded disinformation campaigns," he said. "Everybody is expecting Russia to continue its streak of deception, active measures and disinformation."
Putin and other top Russian officials have insisted that Russia is just conducting military exercises and has no plans to invade Ukraine. In a meeting Monday, with French President Emmanuel Macron, Putin said he was prepared to keep on talking, but offered no signs that a diplomatic breakthrough was on the horizon."...
..."This kind of intelligence usually remains secret, but the U.S. and its allies have clearly made a decision to go public.
"This could potentially be called pre-bunking," said Nina Jankowicz, who's with the Wilson Center in Washington and the author of How To Lose the Information War: Russia, Fake News, and the Future of Conflict.
"Rather than debunking, the (U.S. and British) governments are getting ahead of a potential Russian narrative and attempting to pre-bunk it with this intelligence that they've been declassifying," she said.
The U.S. and British governments have presented this information without offering proof. They say they can't reveal their sources and methods for obtaining it.
This has led to some skepticism. Critics note the U.S. failed to predict the rapid collapse of the Afghan government last year. And the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 on the false premise that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.
"I know that a lot of people will intuitively, instinctively say, 'Well, U.S. intelligence has gotten major things wrong in the past,'" said Professor Thomas Rid, who studies disinformation at Johns Hopkins University.
He thinks the U.S. and Britain have provided enough information to make their case in this instance.
"It appears that the U.S. intelligence community, with the United Kingdom and others, have very good visibility into Russian planning, because otherwise they wouldn't be able to reveal those details," said Rid, the author of Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare.
"Russia has a history of literally more than 100 years of systematic, well-funded disinformation campaigns," he said. "Everybody is expecting Russia to continue its streak of deception, active measures and disinformation."
Putin and other top Russian officials have insisted that Russia is just conducting military exercises and has no plans to invade Ukraine. In a meeting Monday, with French President Emmanuel Macron, Putin said he was prepared to keep on talking, but offered no signs that a diplomatic breakthrough was on the horizon."...
(5)
(0)
SMSgt Anil Heendeniya
SGT (Join to see)
There's no doubt Putin's Purveyors of Prevarification have turned up the spigot--using the Western world's history of successful campaigns to reframe the narrative and cultivate favourable public opinion and support for his evil efforts.
It may well work with many, as they're starved for accurate and truthful reporting that actually reaches them, and given the history of false reporting from Putin's people, there's good reason to push back by pre-empting it with truth.
There's no doubt Putin's Purveyors of Prevarification have turned up the spigot--using the Western world's history of successful campaigns to reframe the narrative and cultivate favourable public opinion and support for his evil efforts.
It may well work with many, as they're starved for accurate and truthful reporting that actually reaches them, and given the history of false reporting from Putin's people, there's good reason to push back by pre-empting it with truth.
(2)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google