Thread by @RonNehring

After speaking with my colleagues in center right parties around the world at @idualliance meeting in London, it’s crystal clear conservatives around the world are strongly backing #Ukraine and oppose Russia’s illegal war of aggression.

Who on the “right” supports Russia? 🧵

Russia has been “working the room” for years trying to peel off those on the fringe left (remnants of the anti-war movement) and right (isolationist populists). Paid-for trips, jobs, “agreements” with Putin’s party, propaganda, and disinfo are some of the tools.

Example: Russian operatives have been working the youth wings of European parties to gain a foothold in public discourse.

Who wants a free trip to Crimea?

bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-eu…

Another tactic is for Putin’s “political party” to sign deals with populist European parties to buy them off.

These parties become Putin’s puppets when he needs them — like now, to create dissent within NATO countries.

These parties are Putin’s “useful idiots.”

Russia ❤️’s the anti-war left and isolationist right — both serve Putin’s interests by pushing against strong national defense, alliances, and resisting Russia’s wars against its neighbors.

Why did Putin make sure Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein got a trip to Moscow and sat at his table at a dinner for his propaganda channel?

He’s working his way toward the center, starting at the extremes.

And right on cue, Stein returns the favor by blaming Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on…the United States.

Who else was at that dinner with Putin?

Mike Flynn, who was fired as National Security Adviser after about a month for lying to Vice President Pence about contacts with the Russians. He also lied to the FBI about it.

Flynn also sat with Putin and Stein…

…and right on cue, finds ways to praise Putin and Russia for invading Ukraine.

Why work the extremes? Parties representing the majority of Americans and Europeans won’t associate with Putin.

Those out of power (because they don’t represent the majority) — they’re most susceptible to influence campaigns.

Putin offer to make them feel relevant.

But he doesn’t invite total nobodies. They need people who draw some media attention. As they repeat Putin’s lines, they help to move the Overton Window — what’s considered acceptable positions in public discourse.

mackinac.org/OvertonWindow

This is how an influence campaign works.

It is multi-vector, employing a variety of tools, starting at the disaffected edges of society and working inward to shift opinion, drive dissent, ideally to the point of creating the paralysis giving Putin time and maneuvering room.

Russian spy Maria Butina’s assignment, for which she was convicted in 2018 (as an unregistered foreign agent) was to serve as an influence agent within the conservative movement, NRA and GOP.

Butina is back in Russia now — and got a promotion for her influence agent work: she’s now in the Russian parliament, in Putin’s party. And serving as an anti-Ukraine propagandist, of course.