US withdrawal from Syria has given Russia the opportunity to question US reliability, expose rifts within NATO, & promote an image of Russia as the leading power in the Middle East. Bret Schafer analyzed Hamilton 2.0 data to see how official Russian actors framed the conversation
Video segment mentions also increased. Hamilton captured 67 video segments associated with Syria during this time period, compared to only four segments on the country between Sept 1 and Oct 5. This signals a large uptick in broadcast coverage over the past month.
There has been increased international attention on Syria due to the US withdrawal and subsequent Turkish offensive, so it is unsurprising that Russian media mentions of Syria have increased. But Russia’s focus on Syrian coverage and its use of specific narratives is notable.
Interestingly, the Russian narrative was often conflicting. Between Oct 7 and Oct 14, RT and other Russian state media outlets framed President Trump’s decision as both cowardly and courageous. This is typical of influence ops as Russia wants to tweak both parties’ sensitivities.
Kremlin-backed accounts also criticized the NATO alliance over the conflict between Turkey and the US. Sputnik Turkey’s account mentioned NATO 156 times between Oct 6 and Nov 11. The account’s activity also suggests an effort to target Turkish audiences with pro-Russia narratives 
The constant underlying narrative over the past month was that Russia was replacing “Atlantic hegemony” in the region. Variations of this theme were visible in most of the coverage.
Shaping international public opinion around the Syrian conflict has long been a Russian messaging priority, Schafer writes. Read the full analysis here: securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/hamilton-2-0-a…
