this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2025
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[–] Bamboodpanda@lemmy.world 5 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

"Russian interference" is not just a few hackers breaking into emails—it’s a well-documented, multi-decade strategy of disinformation designed to weaken democratic institutions. The Kremlin has spent years building an extensive network of fake social media accounts, bot farms, and propaganda outlets to spread divisive narratives.

The Senate Intelligence Committee, the FBI, and cybersecurity experts have all confirmed that Russia’s influence campaigns exploit social and political fractures, using platforms like Facebook and Twitter to push misleading or outright false information. Reports from organizations like the RAND Corporation and Stanford Internet Observatory show how these tactics are designed to erode trust in democracy itself, making people more susceptible to authoritarian and extremist messaging.

This isn’t just speculation—it’s the exact playbook used in Russia’s interference in the 2016 and 2020 elections, as confirmed by U.S. intelligence agencies and the Mueller Report. The goal has always been to amplify distrust, push conspiracy theories, and create a populace that can no longer distinguish fact from fiction.

And now? We’re seeing the results. A country where misinformation spreads faster than the truth, where people take social media posts at face value instead of questioning their sources, and where a populist leader can ride that wave of disinformation straight into power.

Putin doesn’t need to fire a single shot—he’s watching Americans tear themselves apart over lies his operatives helped plant. And the worst part? Many people still refuse to acknowledge it's happening.

Putin has long stated that Russia is at war with the West—not through traditional military means, but through information warfare. Intelligence agencies, cybersecurity experts, and independent researchers have repeatedly warned that we are being targeted. Yet, many in the West refused to take it seriously.

Now, we’re losing the war—not on the battlefield, but in the minds of our own citizens, as propaganda and disinformation tear at the very fabric of democracy.

[–] commander@lemmings.world 3 points 7 hours ago

We need to be able to identify their tactics when we see them.

I've personally noticed that there's a certain kind of user who will always reply no matter what. I think it's part of their job to never concede so it looks like they've won when people on the other side move on with their lives.

[–] BrainInABox@lemmy.ml -2 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

Great to see liberals have fully embraced Qanon style conspiracy theory: just spewing out paragraphs of unsourced claims about a grand conspiracy.

And now? We’re seeing the results. A country where misinformation spreads faster than the truth

You heard it here folk! How could Americans possibly believe misinformation over truth! There's no president for it! It must be a foreign scheme! Fluoride in the water! Precious bodily fluids!

[–] demizerone@lemmy.world 2 points 7 hours ago

All it took was a few insatiably greedy assholes and a few decades. Hopefully the next government can figure out how to contend with human greed.

[–] BrainInABox@lemmy.ml 9 points 16 hours ago
[–] clutchtwopointzero@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The average American is really, really dumb

[–] deaf_fish@lemm.ee 16 points 1 day ago

Yes and the propaganda helped too. The billionaires in the US figured out how to get control of most of the media. It's a master class for the billionaires of the rest of the world. I imagine it won't take long for everyone else to start seeing that kind of propaganda as well.

[–] rayyy@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

really, really dumb

Really, really, >really ~really DUMB.

[–] TheObviousSolution@lemm.ee 8 points 22 hours ago

Because of one simple reason: "Don't care as long as I get mine's", personified in Trump, fueled by the increasing disdain those that have wealth and power have had for their neighbors such that the don't mind living surrounded by shit because they feel they already are.

[–] LePoisson@lemmy.world 66 points 1 day ago (15 children)

Trump is 100% a Russian asset, wild to see that after it was blatantly obvious the first go around we were like "yeah let's out a Russian spy back in the white house."

[–] PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world 8 points 22 hours ago

The important point isn’t even whether or not he is a Russian asset. He undoubtedly is, but that doesn’t actually matter. All that matters is that he’s acting like a Russian asset. He’s doing all the things a Russian asset would do. Ultimately, whether the orders are actually coming from Putin is irrelevant, because the end result is still the same.

[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Judging how Russian elites started licking up to Trump, even blurring out the Soviet emblems in old movies recently in cinema (that's really unexpected), and that general "master is our friend, master will forgive us", it seems that Russia is Trump's asset.

You are forgetting how much power the US and every powerful person in it have. Russia is simply not on the same level, USSR might have been once.

Still, that they are in a relationship is obvious.

[–] LePoisson@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm not forgetting. It's just that Russia is clearly dictating some major USA foreign policy and was from 2016 to 2020 as well.

Obviously it's not black and white, the world is full of gray, but just looking at it through a realpolitik lens the USA is squandering our international goodwill. It may be at the negotiating table and the UN, ceding territorial control via soft power (ie: blowing up USAID which is an idea so retarded it's embarrassing) that gave us access to resources and good will for where we stick all our military bases, letting Russia dictate terms on the surrender of Ukraine, talking about pulling out of NATO (also insane) and at least working at odds with it... Etc.

Sorry for the run on sentence.

Anyways I'm just saying sure some Russian elites are also stroking off Trump at times but that's just window dressing. If anything they're doing it because Trump is so incredibly egotistical he can be easily manipulated by pretending to care more about him. That and they want to use him to help launder money and assets (see: cryptocurrency and real estate deals).

[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 2 points 22 hours ago

Sorry, but about Trump's clearly seen NPL - not only Russia is doing it, but also Argentina under Milei, you are not going to argue Trump is Milei's puppet, I hope. Nobody wants to piss off a narcissist at the top of the US simply because it's going to be expensive if nothing else.

I think the reason Americans love to see Russia as something that strong is because of the Cold War, Russia is not USSR even remotely.

Also I often write alarmist things about Ukraine's situation at the frontlines, but right now they say it's a draw. Capitulation is not something they'll discuss because there's no need.

And everybody already knew that the US can elect any idiot.

[–] WrenFeathers@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

Half the country have always been aware of it, but are powerless to stop it, the other half either voted for him because of it- or are in complete denial that it’s happening- right before their eyes.

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[–] prinzmegahertz@lemm.ee 1 points 22 hours ago

Tbh it’s basically the movie 300 without king Leonidas.

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 62 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

It wasn’t intentional. Trump followed Putin just as Vance followed Trump. He is just too stupid to have seen how this would play out.

Getting attacked by a foreign leader is such an effective way to rally your people behind you, that governments often fabricate external threats as a way to unify their nation. Putin knew the ways this could play out. The only more desirable result for Putin would’ve been Zelenskyy reluctantly accepting the agreement, but globally discrediting the US was a guarantee.

Putin was a KGB intelligence officer for 16 years before going to work for Yeltsin. The man outsmarts intelligence experts for fun. Trump’s ignorance and ego make him the perfect patsy, and the greedy Republicans in office have fully manifested into spineless yes men that are guaranteed to stay out of his way.

[–] Eheran@lemmy.world 67 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Putin is not some 4D Chess master. This should be blatantly obvious since 2022. But he does not need to be what you make him out, all he needs to be is a little bit smarter than the orange idiot.

[–] vga@sopuli.xyz 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I remember the first time I started to pay attention to geopolitics. It was when George W. Bush was elected president, and it made me freak out a bit. Why would a country like America elect such an obvious idiot to the highest office?

I also remember that Putin in comparison seemed like an intelligent, sensible person, even if tad intimidating.

I'm not sure what my point is except that George W. is a genius compared to Trump.

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[–] StoneyPicton@lemmy.ca 45 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Another big winner here is China. I would love to know the contents of that meeting between putin and xi, I think back in 2022(?)

[–] Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It was just this, from both of them:

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[–] Not_mikey@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The president grovels to putin: This is an unprecedented loss of u.s. soft power and the world is judging America for it's cowardice.

The president, congress and every major media organization grovels to netanyahu: ....

This does look bad on our part but the main thing making us look bad on the world stage is our support for Israel. If you ask the average person outside of the west what they find most offensive about this administration they'll probably say its genocidal policy in gaza, not it's shakedown of an ally.

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 day ago (3 children)

That’s just not true

Countries threatened by China care a lot more about this than Gaza

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[–] ladicius@lemmy.world 35 points 2 days ago (4 children)

It wasn't disinformation - it is a pedophile who had minors delivered into his bed and was filmed during the atrocities. The resulting child pornography is what makes orange guy the lap dog of a psychotic killer.

The rest was easy with an asset that high in the ranks.

[–] alvvayson@lemmy.dbzer0.com 41 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Could be. It could also just be bribes.

The current situation is really nice for countries like Russia, Saudi-Arabia and China. They just need to pay a few billion to Trump and get stuff that cannot be bought and are easily worth hundreds of billions from the US empire.

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[–] DreamlandLividity@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

You know, I can easily imagine the first part opening a lot of peoples eyes about Trump if they saw it on it's own. Add the second part and they are likely to throw it into the flat-earth bucket of statements.

I really wonder how much of the current situation in the US is because people would rather be smug and gloat over people with different politics then actually try to convince them.

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