Russian Information and Influence Operations Exploiting Tensions and Inciting Hate Among Jewish and Muslim Communities
In late October 2023, more than 250 spray-painted Stars of David appeared on numerous buildings in Paris, causing alarm within Jewish communities in France and globally. French authorities apprehended two individuals in connection to the vandalism and suspected that the operation was orchestrated from abroad. French intelligence indicated that the operation was a case of Russian government dezinformatsiya (disinformation).
Following the initial arrests on November 9, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs identified a known Russian network, Recent Reliable News (RRN/Doppelgänger), as being responsible for “the artificial spreading and initial distribution on social media of photos of graffiti representing Stars of David in the 10th arrondissement of Paris.”
The Russian campaign employed two distinct operational tactics. The first involved physically spray-painting Stars of David on buildings, while the second aimed to use the vandalized buildings to attract media attention, exacerbate fear, and exploit tensions between Jewish and Muslim communities.
Images and news of the vandalism were disseminated by the Russian intelligence-run Reliable Recent News (RRN) network, which has a history of attempting to erode Western support for Ukraine, a primary focus of Russian information operations over the past two years and beyond.
The RRN’s “Doppelgänger” campaign involved the cloning and impersonation of reliable Western media websites, such as Bild, The Guardian, and RBC Ukraine, to spread false narratives.
The European Council has identified multiple Russian actors responsible for the RRN/Doppelgänger campaign, including InfoRos News Agency, which is described by EU sanctions listings as “a front organization for Unit 54777 of the Russian military intelligence service GRU, responsible for psychological operations.”
Historically, Russia has strategically exploited polarizing social issues to destabilize and undermine Western societies and democracies. For instance, during the COVID pandemic, Russian information operations amplified anti-vaccination and anti-lockdown narratives. Similarly, during Canada’s Trucker Convoy Protests, Russia’s state media outlet RT broadcast stories to intensify division and fear, legitimizing the anti-democratic goals of extremist activists within it.
The Western allies should anticipate a sustained information and influence campaign by the Russian government to exploit the crisis in Israel and intensify existing divisions. Moreover, Russia’s close ties to Hamas and their collective alliance with Iran will likely motivate Russian manipulation of information to erode Western support for Israel and Jewish communities globally.
Russia’s Anti-LQBTQ Campaign and Disinformation
On November 30, Russia’s Supreme Court labelled the “international LGBT public movement” an extremist organization, banning its activities nationwide. The decision, prompted by the justice ministry, occurred without the presence of any legal entity representing the LGBTQ community. Despite the non-existence of any formal organizations behind the movement, the ruling intensifies the repression faced by Russia’s LGBTQ community. The 2013 law against “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” was expanded last year, impacting all age groups. LGBTQ references are systematically erased from media, and a recent incident saw a Russian television music video channel alter a rainbow in a South Korean music video to comply with the “gay propaganda” law.
The court’s move is part of a broader pattern of persecution against Russia’s LGBTQ community, driven by the government’s persistent portrayal of LGBTQ activism as a Western threat. Under President Putin, the authorities frame their actions as defending Russia’s moral fabric. The ban, spearheaded by homophobic MP Vitaly Milonov, reflects a political agenda, positioning the LGBTQ community as a primary subject of the regime’s anti-Western narratives.
The Kremlin’s anti-LGBTQ propaganda may explain why a reported two-thirds of Russians believe that LGBTQ rights should be restricted. According to Russian state media, 11% of Russians believe that gay Russians should be deported from the country.
The Kremlin’s anti-LGBTQ repression serves as a distraction from other sensitive issues, including the Kremlin’s failing war against Ukraine. It may also serve to boost Vladimir Putin’s popularity rating ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
The Kremlin has historically used the strategy of creating an “artificial enemy” to generate Russian radical nationalist and anti-Western sentiment. For example, to justify its war against Ukraine, The Kremlin created the false claim that the Ukrainian government is run by “Nazis” and that all Ukrainians, including those in its global diaspora communities, also support “Nazis.” This tactical narratives that is persistently deployed by the Kremlin is intended to discredit and dehumanize Ukrainians in order to incite hate towards them and erode western support for Ukraine’s efforts to defend its sovereignty.
The consequences for the LGBTQ community, are serious, with individuals and organizations now feeling compelled to evacuate the country to escape persecution. Over the past decade, LGBTQ community members have been targeted by violent repression in the Russian regional republic of Chechnya. Hundreds of men have been tortured, mutilated and killed in the Chechen anti-LGBTQ campaign.
PRC Spamoflage Campaign Targets Canadians
In August 2023, Meta reported that it had removed 9,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts, groups and pages associated with a Chinese political spam network that had targeted users around the world, including Canada. The Chinese government orchestrated campaign, called “Spamouflage”, has directly targeted Canadian elected officials, “including the Prime Minister, the leader of the Official Opposition, and several members of Cabinet” according to a recent report published by the Rapid Response Mechanism team at Global Affairs Canada.
Understanding “Spamouflage”
The term “Spamouflage” describes the deceptive techniques employed by foreign actors, especially China, to influence political discourse and democratic processes in Canada and the Western world. These tactics involve the use of social media manipulation, fake news dissemination, and the creation of counterfeit online personas. The intent is to manipulate public opinions, intensify polarization and erode trust in our democratic institutions.
The PRC actors who have operationalized the campaign controlled a network of new or hijacked social media accounts through which they post disinformation and commentary that is positive towards China and its policies in Xinjiang province, Tibet and other regions and is critical of western foreign policy towards China and directly attacks critics of the Chinese government, including elected officials, activists and journalists. The online platforms that are used to undertake this information operations include Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Medium, Reddit, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
In one case, a Canadian critic of the Chinese government, based in British Columbia, Liu Xin, was targeted. A deep fake video was created, which seemed to depict Liu Xin saying that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, “is a man who loves porn.”
On October 24, 2023, The Australian Security Policy Institute released a report about the Spamouflage campaign, stating that “in the case of Liu, and in addition to attempts to intimidate and silence him, the new campaign might also be trying to shape Canadian politicians’ perceptions of him, as well as seeking to undermine his work and public reputation.”
The Coordinated Attack
Beginning in early August 2023, this bot network unleashed a wave of disinformation targeting Canadian MPs accusing them of criminal and ethical violations. The same bot networks were also involved in spreading false narratives about events like the Hawaiian wildfires and Japan’s Fukushima water release. Analysis by RRM Canada indicates that these operations are part of the larger Spamouflage network, which experts have linked to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Both the Prime Minister and Official Leader of The Opposition were targeted in the campaign, with “dozens” of other MPs. Among them was Liberal MP Omar Alghabra, who said that he had received repetitive messages on social media which accused him of “corruption.”
Impact on Canadian Democracy
The Spamouflage campaign cleary demonstrates that foreign actors are aggressively targeting Canadians and our democracy. Such campaigns are a threat to the rights and freedoms of all Canadians and the functioning of our democracy.
By discrediting MPs and attempting to silence critics of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), these operations seek to manipulate public opinion, suppress open discourse, and undermine the democratic process, through disinformation and intimidation. This could lead to MPs, activists, journalists and researchers feeling that their ability to carry out their duties are compromised and they may be dissuaded from addressing issues concerning the Chinese and other authoritarian regimes, or even those affecting their own communities.
