Fediverse vs Disinformation

As undersea infrastructure in the Baltic gets cut, the Kremlin’s disinformation machine churns out cut-and-paste denials and deflections.

Several incidents over the last few years have highlighted the EU’s exposure to hybrid attacks against its critical infrastructure. What often looks like sabotage and disruption has sparked growing concern for the EU. And to muddy the waters even further, the Kremlin’s disinformation quickly follows hot on the heels of these incidents.

From the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 by Russian forces in July 2014 to the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022 the Kremlin’s disinformation playbook relies on a mix of denial, deflection, and fabrication to obscure the truth.

Moscow most recently exhibited its manipulation playbook when two critical fibre-optic cables in the Baltic Sea were cut last November. A similar incident occurred late in December 2024, when a submarine power cable connecting Estonia and Finland suffered a failure.

As investigations into the two episodes proceed, Russian disinformation actors have seized the opportunity to spin the incidents to suit their broader external and internal agenda.

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