Misinformation and Disinformation in Russia
Everywhere, actually
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In his dystopian novel 1984, George Orwell described a world where information had become so intentionally distorted that no one could be sure of anything. Facts no longer existed.
We are there now.
I recently published some observations about Russia, Putin, and the Ukraine war, which in Russia can only legally be referred to as a ‘special military operation’. And I got comments from readers with Russian names telling me that basically all of the things we are hearing about the situation there were manufactured by the US.
Here in the US there are a large number of people who believe the government is run by a conspiracy of pedophiles who eat children.
And yesterday, a Nord Stream underwater gas pipeline was apparently sabotaged, blown up and now bubbling gas up from deep in the sea. Immediately the rumor mill and blame game started spewing out accusations of who did it.
There are a lot of motivations for doing this, on all sides. On the EU anti-Russia side it could be those who want the EU to immediately cut off buying all oil and gas from Russia. The Russians are spreading rumors that the US did it. Maybe Russia did it to show their power to cut off Europe from heat this coming winter.
And that is the nature of reality these days. Whomever did this, they were military. Someone with the capability to dive deep, set explosives, and disappear before it blew up. Or maybe the new Facist Italian leader blew it up with one of their US vote destroying satellites (an actual belief by some wackos here in 2020).
Russian #2 man Lavrov, at the UN, claimed Russia had 5000 casualties so far in Ukraine. Western intelligence puts the number at ten times that, 50,000. He was basically laughed out of the room and fled.
Oh, and the rumor mills told us that there might be a coup going on in China with supreme leader Xi Jinping under house arrest. But he showed up at an event, disproving that stuff.
So, when I get comments from Russian sympathizers claiming everything is American manipulation and meddling, I pay no attention. We still live in a country where you can publicly disagree with leaders and not get…
