Digital Authoritarianism and Russia’s Disinformation amidst the War in Ukraine

• In Event: Propaganda, Disinformation, and War

Abstract

Information operations has been an integral part of Russia’s military toolbox as part of its invasion of Ukraine. Indeed, Moscow has been keen to discredit the Kyiv regime, legitimize its invasion, and criticize western support to Ukraine, making information a defining extension of its military operations in Ukraine. In this respect, Russia has been known to use telegram, a popular messaging app, as a tool for information operations in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Indeed, telegram which is based in Russia, has been used by Russian military intelligence agencies to disseminate false information, spread propaganda, and coordinate military operations. Overall, telegram has played a significant role in the information warfare that has accompanied the war in Ukraine. Russian military and intelligence agencies as well as a Russian backed civilian groups have used telegram as a tool for information operations to disseminate false and misleading information spread propaganda and coordinate military operations.

Drawing on “digital authoritarianism”, this paper seeks to conceptualize and consider the nature and importance of digital technologies in revisionist powers global strategy. Current research on digital authoritarianism highlights Russia’s distinctive form of control and use of digital technologies. Moscow relies less on censorship and heavy surveillance and more on cyber-intimidation and mass disinformation. Moreover, at a time where democracies are increasingly challenged by authoritarian regimes, Russia, China, and Iran have been expressly active in extending their influence on digital platforms, both to control domestic populations as well as spreading disinformation and attempting to erode trust in democratic institutions abroad. Furthermore, the use of digital authoritarianism in the Ukraine war illustrates the way in which technology can be harnessed by governments to further their own interests. It also highlights the need for citizens to be aware of the ways in which technology can be used to control and manipulate them as the world becomes increasingly digitized. It is important for individuals and societies to be aware of the potential dangers of digital authoritarianism and to take steps to protect themselves.

This paper seeks to understand how digital authoritarianism has shaped Russia’s propaganda goals on digital platforms amidst the Ukrainian war. We have extracted all conversations from official Russian Telegram channels. We have collected online conversations on Telegram channels operated by the Russian state (Ministry of Defence, Foreign Affairs) and major channels controlled by Russian Embassies abroad (Canada, Australia, UK, Bulgaria, Latin America, France), as well as channels of outlets funded by the Kremlin (RT, Sputnik). More than 50,500 messages have thus been collected between January 2022 and January 2023. First, we use deep learning natural language processing to measure the type of content and main narrative topics as well as congruence between channels’ content. Second, we analyze post to measure network effects between channels, mapping how Moscow develops its main propaganda narratives and how it uses its antenna across the world to relegate and centralize its information operations. Results indicate that Russian strategy has increasingly relied on lower quality posting, commonly referred to as “shitposting”, to disrupt online discussions about Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Finally, several links and references to platforms outside of Telegram indicate attempts to generate a multi-platform effect. These results shed light on this intensifying Russian strategy of foreign interference and highlight how digital authoritarianism as evolved since the invasion of Ukraine.

Authors

• David Dubé, McGill University

• Jean-Christophe Boucher, University of Calgary