The U.S. Embassy in Romania on Monday warned about disinformation which it called one of the “most important and far-reaching” and cheapest weapons used by the Kremlin amid tensions over Ukraine.
In a post on Facebook which used comments made by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, it said “Russia has operationalized ….a disinformation and propaganda ecosystem.”
“This ecosystem …. spreads false narratives to strategically advance the Kremlin’s policy goals.”
“Everything from human rights and environmental policy to assassinations and civilian-killing bombing campaigns are fair targets in Russia’s malign playbook.”
Disinformation has increased in Romania about the pandemic and tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Romania, which borders Ukraine, feels vulnerable as Moscow has demanded NATO pulls out its troops from the the country. Romania joined the alliance in 2004.
The post drew hundreds of comments, some of them, predictably, posting disinformation.
One Facebook user posted a picture of tents near houses, suggesting the U.S. was a refugee camp. The author pointed out that the image was from 2008 and the tents were for flood victims.
„Truth disarms Russia’s disinformation weapons. The Kremlin creates and spreads disinformation in an attempt to confuse and overwhelm people about Russia’s real actions in Ukraine, Georgia, and elsewhere in Europe. ”
„Disinformation is a quick and fairly cheap way to destabilize societies and set the stage for potential military action,” Anthony Blinken said.
“ Despite having been exposed for engaging in these malign activities countless times, Russia continues to work counter to international norms and global stability, the Secretary for State said..
“We see a significant effort to push propaganda against Ukraine, NATO, and the United States, „Blinken said in his speech which was linked to the post.
