Russia and Trump: Polluting the Information Space

Following the recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, Russian journalists and government officials decided it was appropriate to give their forecasts on social media of how the near-fatal event might affect the US elections. Not surprisingly, their analyses generally concurred that the “official narratives” in the US could not be trusted and Trump’s victorious path to the White House was now assured.

In the eyes of one of Moscow’s favorite “political technologists,” Yevgeny Minchenko, Trump’s chances of winning have increased due to his now strengthened image of being a “warrior opposing the system,” echoing Russian International Affairs Council expert, Alexey Naumov, who said, “The attempt on Donald Trump’s life will greatly strengthen his image of a martyr and victim, already created by the criminal cases against him.”

Not surprisingly, some, such as Viktor Medvedchuk, whose daughter happens to be Putin’s goddaughter, sought to link the shooting to Ukraine amid wild allegations that Zelensky wanted to see Trump dead, a lead which was followed by Vladimir Solovyov, who stated on his Telegram channel: a) President Zelensky is a Nazi; and b) it would not be surprising to find a Ukrainian trace in the attempt against Trump. This was reiterated by Russian media indicating that there are sources within Ukraine that believe Zelensky had clear interest in trying to kill Trump.

Russia’s Spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, gave her analysis on Telegram: “Exactly two months ago, I drew attention to the fact that in the United States they literally encourage incitement of hatred towards political opponents, and also gave examples of the American tradition of assassinations and murders of presidents and presidential candidates.”

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, blamed internal politics for Trump’s assassination attempt: “The atmosphere that was created by this administration during the political struggle… around Trump has led to what America has faced today.”

Wang Wen, a Chinese academic correspondent, was chosen to be featured in TASS, where he argued that “Fears of a civil war in America have permeated American public opinion, leading to a complete decline in the US role as a beacon in global politics,” something that was part of the larger “chaotic” and “absurd” nature of US politics.

In all cases, as is to be expected, Moscow seeks to find angles by which it can heat up existent tensions in the US, something that could be seen in the Russian governments’ posts arguing that the assassination attempt spoke to the “crisis of the American political system” while others noted the “serious split in [American] society” had grown so bad that it was now on “the brink of a civil war.” Likewise. the promotion of overboard conspiracy theories, such as those of Olga Skabeyeva, a well-known Russian propagandist, who argued that “the terrorist who tried to kill Trump was reportedly a member of the local Jewish community,” while in another social media post she tried to cast shade on the current US President’s involvement in political murder, arguing that it was clear that “Biden is trying to deflect blame for the assassination attempt on Trump,” as RT also spread conspiracy theories connecting Blackrock and a second shooter to the event.

So, why does Russia float so many conspiracy theories and alternative explanations, even if they contradict themselves?

Russia’s goal is not to promote a singular narrative. Rather, by consistently weaponizing conspiracy theories and “alternative facts,” Russia looks to pollute the information space and Putin’s pawns utilize “talking points” to sow more discord and chaos. Russia’s goal is ultimately not to convince people about what happened in this isolated incident in Pennsylvania, rather, Russia is interested in causing people to doubt official narratives, emanating from DC, which they hope will cause further rifts and divisions in American society. In the end, Russia’s goal is that Americans fight with Americans, leaving Russia free to do as it pleases globally.

Dr. Ivana Stradner serves as a research fellow with the Barish Center for Media Integrity at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Jason Jay Smart, Ph.D., is a political adviser who has lived and worked in Ukraine, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Latin America. Twitter: @OfficeJJSmart