NEW: Massive Russian influence operation targeted former Ukrainian defense minister on TikTok; joint DFRLab-BBC Verify investigation exposes the largest information operation ever uncovered on the platform dfrlab.org/2023/12/14/mas… The @DFRLab's @r_osadchuk first uncovered the operation in July, when he spotted a TikTok video accusing Ukraine's then-defense minister Oleksii Reznikov of purchasing luxury cars and villas in Europe, which had been crossposted to Twitter. /2

The second report the @DFRLab is releasing today is Undermining Ukraine: How the Kremlin employs information operations to erode global confidence in Ukraine. atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-resea… Once the war began in earnest on Feb 24 of last year, Russia expanded its strategy with an additional emphasis on undermining Ukraine’s ability to resist in hopes of forcing the country to surrender or enter negotiations on Russia’s terms. 2/

Thread: Very excited to announce the release of two @DFRLab reports regarding Russian information operations. The first report is called "Narrative Warfare: How the Kremlin and Russian news outlets justified a war of aggression against Ukraine" atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-resea… In Narrative Warfare, the @DFRLab analyzed how the Kremlin and pro-Kremlin media employed false and misleading narratives to justify military action against Ukraine, mask the Kremlin’s operational planning, and deny any responsibility for the coming war. 2/

Over the last week, @DFRLab analyzed every piece of evidence we’d collected since Sept about the #StopTheSteal movement leading to the 1/6 US Capitol attack. The result is this timeline of more than 150 milestones, published this morning by Just Security. justsecurity.org/74622/stopthes… @DFRLab The timeline is more than 10,000 words, in part because there was so much evidence hiding in plain sight that an anti-democracy movement goaded on by Trump would take extreme actions after assembling in DC on Jan 6.

THREAD: Been thinking a lot about images of the Jan 6 Capitol Hill attack, Inauguration Day, and cognitive dissonance. It got me wondering how, if ever, we could bring conspiracy-minded loved ones back into the fold. (1/N) medium.com/dfrlab/op-ed-f… My initial reaction to conspiracists freaking out over Biden’s inauguration was schadenfreude. But then I started questioning why I was reacting this way, and if there might be a teachable moment for many of us. (2/N)

NEW from the @DFRLab: Armed militias mobilized on social media hours before yesterday’s deadly Kenosha shooting, as users on Facebook and reddit encouraged armed individuals to “give them hell” and “shoot to kill.” (1/N)

medium.com/dfrlab/armed-m… Last night around 11:45pm, a gunman killed 2 people and injured a 3rd in Kenosha, WI, two days after police shot and paralyzed Jacob Blake. The @DFRLab managed to archive and analyze militia communities on FB and their activities yesterday prior to FB deleting them. (2/N)

EXCLUSIVE: my team at the @DFRLab & I uncovered a massive political influence op run by a Tunisian company that ran a network of more than 900 FB pages, groups, users and IG accounts to influence presidential elections across Africa. atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-resea… #OperationCarthage @DFRLab The op, which we’re referring to as #OperationCarthage, used coordinated inauthentic behavior on FB and other platforms to influence multiple elections.

THREAD: Of all the things our family has had to deal with during #coronavirus #quarantine, the one thing that never crossed my mind was how we would deal with a dying pet. Now that we’ve been through the experience, I thought I’d share our story. (1/N) We’d been very lucky with our dog Brady, a Newfoundland we’d adopted when he was 2. Newfies have a typical lifespan of 8-10 years, so we were as surprised as anyone else as he passed his 10th birthday, and then his 11th, without major health issues. (2/N) #pets #quarantine

THREAD: Rumors, conspiracy theories, disinformation. Alongside the pandemic, we’re now facing a #coronavirus #infodemic. It’s our civic duty - all of of ours - to fight it, as @GrahamBrookie and I write for @TheAtlantic. (1/N) theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/… There is no doubt we’re facing a dangerous moment. While millions of us quarantine ourselves as the rate of infection grows exponentially, so to does the amount of info about #coronavirus - include a lot of false information. The @WHO calls this phenomenon an #infodemic. (2/N)

Quick thread/update: It’s now day 8 of my #covid19purgatory saga and I still haven’t heard any results yet. I did, however, have a very constructive call with a representative from Howard County General’s patient relations team. 1/N She was extremely apologetic about what I’d experienced, and we talked for a good 20 minutes going through the details of everthing that’s happened so far. 2/N #covid19purgatory

I can’t get straight answers as to how my #covid19 sample got bungled in the first place. I can’t get straight answers as to which lab has my specimen, its current status, or when I should expect a diagnosis. 31/N #covid19purgatory I can’t get a straight answer who will tell me my results - the state, the county (hah, which one?), the ER. Though at least *someone* in Howard County health dept is trying to figure it out for me. 32/N #covid19purgatory

I speak with my county health dept contact at lunchtime and the end of her shift. She tries to get the lab results, but there are none. She’s extremely sympathetic and frustrated for me. 25/N #covid19purgatory So now it’s Wednesday night and my #covid19 test results still aren’t back, despite having taken the test LAST THURSDAY. Tomorrow is my #covid19purgatory weekaversary! 25/N

THREAD: Last Thursday I was admitted to the ER w/ #coronavirus symptoms, including chronic cough, shortness of breath & lung pain. I was given a #COVID19 test and told I’d have the results within 48 hrs. Nearly a week later, I still don’t have the results. 1/N #covid19purgatory I’d been sick for the better part of 2 weeks and hadn’t gotten better. I went to a walk-in clinic, described symptoms and discussed my history. Someone from an affected country had recently visited my office. 2/N #covid19purgatory

THREAD: Folks, if any of you are tempted to watch or share the NZ mosque attack video, DON'T. Vicarious trauma from viewing violence online is real, and in some cases can lead to a PTSD diagnosis. Trust me: it happened to me. I've lost track of the number of videos I've watched from terrorist attacks and war zones. I justified it by the desire to bear witness, for myself and for the public. And then the panic attacks started.