Putin’s threat that Russia would hit targets in Ukraine “that we have not yet attacked” if Kyiv receives long-range missiles from the United States. Russian messengers claimed Ukraine was planning to hit Russia with U.S. weapons and threatened 🇺🇦's allies.
Food Crisis 🥕
Russian diplomats and state media continued to deny responsibility for a global food crisis that experts say was sparked by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, instead blaming the shortage on the Covid-19 pandemic, a Western media stunt, and Ukraine.
Energy Bans⛽️
Kremlin-backed accounts pushed back against Western bans on Russian energy exports, arguing the EU’s embargo will cause an economic collapse and energy shortage in Asia. Russian officials also said oil and gas exports would increase this year,
Xinjiang
Chinese diplomats and state media pushed back on international criticism following the UN high commissioner for human rights’ visit to #Xinjiang, calling the criticism “hysterical" and claiming that “the allegation of genocide in Xinjiang is the lie of the century.”
U.S. Criticism 🇺🇸
China’s propagandists sought to distract from #Xinjiang by suggesting that U.S. treatment of Native Americans was worse than China’s treatment of Uyghurs and drawing attention to racism in the U.S.
Tiananmen Square
China’s messengers mostly ignored the 33rd anniversary of the #TiananmenSquare massacre; however, one commentator argued that it was a “watershed” moment that allowed China to grow “into a new super power.”
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More than a year and a half after the US Capitol riot, the #January6thCommittee will hold its first public hearing this Thursday. Ahead of the hearing, ASD experts answer questions about January 6th, the Big Lie, and how they're impacting US democracy. securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/qa-with-asd-ex…
What are the facts about the 2020 election?
"The nation’s top intelligence and law enforcement agencies confirmed that there was no evidence of significant interference or election fraud in 2020 and that the results were legitimate," @davidalanlevine says.
"The Big Lie narratives have been effective b/c they are grounded in national conversations about electoral integrity that preceded the 2020 election, & that created alarm and insecurities about the single greatest process that defines American democracy—free and fair elections."
As Russia continued its assault on Ukraine last week, it also continued to spread disinformation to try to convince the world that Russia is not to blame—and China's messaging largely followed that same line.
Kremlin-linked accounts promoted new evidence to support their conspiracy around U.S.-funded bioweapon labs in Ukraine, though the number of tweets from Russian propagandists with the term “biological” dropped by 58 percent compared to the previous week.
🇨🇳China
Russian propagandists mentioned “China” or “Chinese” in more than 400 tweets as they insisted that Moscow and Beijing’s partnership was growing and amplified Chinese state messengers who criticized NATO and the United States.
Reorienting foreign aid to fight kleptocracy and strategic corruption—corrosive capital, malign influence, and election interference—calls for stronger methods that are more political and coordinated than classic development aid.
Kleptocracies don’t stop at their own borders. The same actors, networks, tactics, and resources that they wield to prevent democracy and rule of law from sprouting at home are also repurposed for foreign aggression.
While cronies and oligarchs get rich in the process, “strategic corruption” is a geopolitical weapon directed by autocratic regimes to undermine the sovereignty of other countries. Its top three manifestations vary in how directly and boldly they subvert democratic processes.
👉how inclusive the event is
👉how much the summit focuses on innovation and sharing solutions
👉how countries crafted their "commitments"
If handled carefully, the #SummitforDemocracy could tighten relationships based on shared values, but if handled poorly, it could prove divisive. "The messaging will have to be perfect if the Biden team is to walk this tightrope successfully," @ZackCooper says.
Just yesterday, the US government released its first ever strategy to combat corruption and kleptocracy. And in the last hour, Treasury has released new regulations on beneficial ownership.
Our panelists will break down what this means over the next hour!
"American law firms have really transformed into what I describe as 'first among equals,'" @cjcmichel says, referring to enablers of malign finance. "They're attempting to cloak so much of this under the guise of attorney-client privilege."
What has Taiwan done to effectively push back against info manipulation?
"Taiwan has been a testing ground for CCP information operations since 1949, so it's fair to say we're quite experienced," @pumashen says. He notes the importance of transparency in democratic responses.
"Keeping the Kremlin accountable for their actions publicly has been a strong signal" that the EU is does not condone Russian info ops, @ahonen_anneli says. The EU's cyber sanctions toolbox can be implemented more widely to further deter these malign operations, she explains.