Thread by @cxemu

Pro-Russia narratives, memes, “augmented reality and fakes registry”: how the Kremlin-hired disinformation agency works

Thread🧵

2/11 “Schemes” @MaksymSavchuk @AnnaMyroniuk gained access to thousands of leaked documents from the Russian “Social Design Agency” or “SDA”, an organization sanctioned by the EU and the US, and, according to American intelligence, supervised by the Putin Administration.

3/11 The leaked internal files of the “Social Design Agency” were obtained by the German media @SZ, @ndr and @WDR, and the Estonian news site @DelfiEE, which then shared them with a dozen European media outlets, including “Schemes.”

4/11 As part of the #FactoryofFakes project, “Schemes” gained access to the smallest details of the Russian disinformation operations planning: minutes of “SDA” meetings and reports on fake dissemination.

5/11 The obtained documents show that “SDA” uses disinformation to discredit Ukraine, its top officials and citizens, as well as the leaders of Western countries who support it while promoting the interests of Russia and European politicians who defend them.

6/11 For example, “SDA” tried to influence the June 2024 elections to the European Parliament to bring to power more representatives of right-wing forces who Russian political technologists expected to support Russia and oppose Western aid to Ukraine.

7/11 This disinformation operation included, among other things, a “comprehensive counter-campaign” against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

8/11 The company also spread numerous fakes about Ukrainians to Western audiences. One example is that Ukrainians join ISIS while seeking refuge in Europe or that Ukrainians traffick children evacuated from the country’s frontline to the EU.

9/11 The “SDA” also tried to influence the Ukrainians themselves. Russian political technologists used sensitive topics such as mobilization, battlefield casualties, restrictions on freedom of speech effective during martial law, drying up Western aid, and internal corruption.

10/11 Russian disinformation specialists from “SDA” also used President Zelenskiy's tense relations with his predecessor Petro Poroshenko, ex-Armed Forces chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and Kyiv mayor Vitali Klychko to divide Ukrainians.

11/11 Who leads the “SDA” disinformation operations and what fakes does the company spread for the Kremlin? Read more about it in the newest investigation by “Schemes” radiosvoboda.org/a/skhemy-kreml…