Category: Eurasia

Lessons from Europe’s fight against Russian disinformation

     

In most of Europe, where hoax news stories and Web sites with bogus articles are muddying the digital pipeline of reliable information, political leaders have publicly reaffirmed their faith in… Read more »

Advancing or undermining democracy? No moral equivalence

     

Vladimir Putin denies meddling in U.S. politics, but he has charged that the U.S. government interfered “aggressively” in Russia’s 2012 presidential vote, notes Tom Malinowski, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights… Read more »

Shrinking space for Kazakhstan’s civil society

     

First, there was a media report hinting at shadowy links between foreign-funded charities and terrorism in Kazakhstan. Then, the taxman came knocking, notes analyst Joanna Lillis. The tax inspections served as… Read more »

Russia’s fellow travelers aid disinformation in ‘cooler Cold War’

     

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been excised from two major upcoming releases. The move reportedly shows that Hollywood’s nerves are shredded after the cyber attacks… Read more »

Bearing the brunt of Russia’s disinformation strategy

     

As the US and the EU imposed sanctions on Russia over the MH17 downing that was by then accepted as mass murder, Moscow responded by claiming that documents purporting to… Read more »

Kadyrov flaunts Chechnya’s de facto independence

     

The July 18 episode of HBO’s “Real Sports” features a surprising interview subject—Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Russia’s Chechen Republic, in his first interview with a Western journalist since 2014,… Read more »

Defending Digital Democracy: West needs comprehensive response to hybrid threats

     

The former managers of Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney’s presidential campaigns are leading a new initiative called “Defending Digital Democracy” in the hopes of preventing a repeat of Russia’s 2016… Read more »

Resources and commitment needed to combat kleptocracy

     

The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit seeking to recover assets that include a $50 million Manhattan apartment and an $80 million yacht that it said were bought using… Read more »

Online and On All Fronts: Russia’s assault on opposition ‘reaching new heights’

     

Russia has introduced significant restrictions to online speech and invasive surveillance of online activity and prosecutes critics under the guise of fighting extremism, Human Rights Watch said in a report released… Read more »

Darkening web’s fake humans a threat to democracy

     

Danish troops will get training in how to deal with Russian misinformation before being sent to join a NATO military build-up in Estonia in January, Defense Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen… Read more »