The Geopolitics of Disinformation in a Continued Cold War: A Study of Russia’s Cyber Information Operations Strategy (2022-2023)
Abstract:
This study seeks to explore patterns in Russia’s disinformation operations strategy during the war in Ukraine and discuss them in the context of its geopolitical interests across the world. The data for this research spans from the beginning of the invasion in February 2022 to July 2023 and is collected from the EUvsDisinfo database in the form of articles where disinformation was discovered (N=1906). Variables considered for the analysis include categories for the topics in the disinformation articles, the intended target audience, and the sources disseminating it. The findings show that the majority of the disinformation content concerns security-related topics, but there is also a notable presence of economic and cultural topics. While these results are not in contrast with prior research, other parts of the results are. The disinformation articles seek to reach predominantly non-EU/NATO audiences, specifically Russian-speaking ones, along with Arab-speaking and Armenian- and Georgian-speaking ones. Most of the disinformation is also conveyed to readers through official Russian media outlets.
AUTHORS
Department of Intelligence and Security Studies Coastal Carolina University
Conway, South Carolina, United States of America
Lora Pitman is an Assistant Professor of Intelligence and Security Studies at Coastal Carolina University. She has published more than 15 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters with a focus on international security and cyber security. Her publications appear in the International Journal of Intelligence & Cybercrime, the International Journal of Cyber Criminology, the Journal of White Collar and Corporate Crime, Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice, the International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences, the Journal of Criminal Justice Studies, Information & Security: An International Journal (ISIJ), NATO Science for Peace and Security series, and the Encyclopedia of Global Security Studies. She is also a co-editor of the NATO-issued volume Advances in Defence Analysis, Concept Development and Experimentation: Innovation for the Future. Dr. Pitman also worked on different projects in the area of cyber security, sponsored by NATO, the U.S. Department of State, the Tactics Institute for Security & Counter Terrorism, the Cyber Threats Research Centre, and others.
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Keywords
Journal of Information Warfare
The definitive publication for the best and latest research and analysis on information warfare, information operations, and cyber crime. Available in traditional hard copy or online.
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