Disinformation Nation: Kremlin operation in the UK tipped off US authorities

Source: WTOP

Disinformation Nation: Kremlin operation in the UK tipped off US authorities

J.J. Green | jgreen@wtop.com
October 29, 2024, 4:57 AM

This is Part Two of a two-part series by WTOP’s National Security Correspondent J.J. Green, following the disinformation spread in American politics.

When the FBI and Homeland Security officials alerted the nation in January that Russian actors would try to manipulate the 2024 election, they weren’t sure at the time how the Russians would do it. But, oddly, a short time later, as news of an illness in Britain’s royal family emerged, the Kremlin’s plot came into focus, and its U.S. intentions were exposed.

In March, when Kate, Princess of Wales, mysteriously dropped out of sight, internet sites and social media exploded with wild speculation about the cause of her disappearance. She later revealed a cancer diagnosis.

But in the interim, millions of posts, memes and online theories spread, exhibiting patterns that disinformation experts immediately recognized.

“These patterns of behavior were consistent with a Russian information operation that, in the open-source community, is referred to as ‘Doppelganger,’” said professor Martin Innes, director of the Security, Crime and Intelligence Innovation Institute at Cardiff University in Britain.

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J.J. Green
JJ Green is WTOP's National Security Correspondent. He reports daily on security, intelligence, foreign policy, terrorism and cyber developments, and provides regular on-air and online analysis. He is also the host of two podcasts: Target USA and Colors: A Dialogue on Race in America.
jgreen@wtop.com
@JJGreenWTOP

Read more: https://wtop.com/national-security/2024/10/disinformation-nation-kremlin-operation-in-the-uk-tipped-off-us-authorities/