The U.S. government accuses Russia of sponsoring a disinformation campaign in Latin America aimed at weakening support for Ukraine and stoking anti-American sentiment.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the Kremlin has not tried to directly influence newspapers, broadcasters and social media in almost all Latin American countries. To this end, it engages three Russian organizations that interact with local journalists and influencers.
This is about the Social Design Agency (SDA), an Internet development and infrastructure company. The European Union imposed sanctions on two of them in July for campaigning against Ukraine.
The main channels through which the Russians spread their disinformation are websites Balance In Ecuador, it presents itself as an international news agency for peace and nonviolence and collaborates with 300 newspapers, broadcasters and websites around the world. CitizenAn independent socialist media in Chile.
The Russian Embassy in Washington has not yet responded to the allegation.
This is the second time in a short period of time that Americans have accused Moscow of using fake news and propaganda in a disinformation campaign. On October 20, the United States released a classified intelligence report sent to more than 100 governments that said Moscow was using spies, social media and Russian state media to undermine public confidence in the integrity of democratic elections.
Peter von Ammelrooy
Support for Ukraine against Russian aggression is not self-evident in Latin America, as reporter Joost de Vries noted earlier: Lula defies the West with his Ukraine peace plan