The Russian invasion of Ukraine is not just a matter of bombs, tanks and sirens blaring in the night.
The Kremlin’s operation is much more complex, and in recent months it has moved with cunning on the Internet. Cyber attacks and propaganda are two levers that Vladimir Putin has used forcefully in recent times. Moves that have weakened Ukraine, and perhaps the West, if only from a reputational point of view.
Cyber warfare
Because even without dropping a bomb or moving platoons, nations can damage themselves tremendously through cyberwarfare. Which doesn’t necessarily mean hacking into a power plant. Because with social media, disinformation today can erode trust in institutions and create an atmosphere of contempt, mistrust and even violence among citizens.
Today, Russian-based disinformation is a huge problem. And it’s challenging the global tech industry. Because the way tech companies try to respond to fake news packaged by Kremlin-funded companies could heavily impact future geopolitical conflicts.
Russian propaganda
As Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky testified, Russian propaganda is one of the most dangerous keys to this war: «We are under attack not only by bombs, but also by fakes. It is important to get true news from official sources. Today Russia invaded Ukraine. Putin started the war against Ukraine and the democratic world ».
Few barriers to disinformation
The real point, though, is that big techs aren’t moving fast enough at the moment. The world‘s leading social media companies have claimed to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine, but at the moment companies like Meta, Twitter and YouTube have not yet publicly introduced new rules to try to stem disinformation.