This is what we do. The USA/CIA does this every day and they are the best. Any time a South or Central American or Middle Eastern state elects someone who puts that state's interests above those of the United States, that person is doomed.

Their reputation will plummet as long as they maintain freedom of the press. And if they decide to defend themselves by restricting press freedom in a trial to stop the media from lying, they are even more doomed to fail.

Only a dictatorship like China can defend itself against American opinion-forming. But of course, life under a dictatorship has its own shortcomings. But perhaps it's better than being another piece of prey in the American portfolio, unable to counter Western arrogance and racism. There are only a few countries on earth that can be seen as accomplices of American imperialism and not as its victims.

Unfortunately, Eastern Europe was not smart enough to hold on to the changed Soviet Union under Gorbachev and become its own economic power like China.

They simply switched sides and became a bargain for Western interests. The Spoils of the Cold War. Just a market for western companies and products. Helpless at the mercy of the Americans. This is what professional propaganda can do to peoples.

While Putin tries to turn back time. Also pathetic. He will be able to destroy a lot but his country will never benefit from it.

I'd like to believe that our intelligence communities do, but I don't know.

What I do know that that Russian propaganda tries to "immunize" their marks against mismatching views. One method is to pull them out of the shared media ecosystem by seeding distrust against non-aligned media. Another is to associate any undesirable viewpoints with weakness, idiocy or perversion.

Last but not least, Russia already tested a complete internet disconnect of their country so they could isolate their own population from anything not state controlled, should the tide turn or an emergency happen.

Idk, but the Russian propaganda blames everything on the "Collective West". Like E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. Even the recent murder of Navalny, who was contained in a highly isolated prison in the Arctic Circle was attributed to the US spies.

Jokes aside, I think such news was elevated externally, and it was a big deal in Russia: https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/01/16/7437453/

People don't have access to social media in Russia like they do in most democratic countries. They don't have as many devices, slower access, language barriers, and much bigger risk of serious problems from the government.

Also, democratic governments run by committees are less able and less willing to use this kind of tactic.

We do, but both countries have "Great Firewalls" and much more tightly control what their denizens do online. Not sure why you expect to be made aware of it.