Russia is directing coronavirus-related disinformation at Eastern European audiences in a bid to drive anti-NATO sentiment among virus-spooked populations. The tactics range from the usual sort of anti-Western commentary on pro-Russian sites to hacking a legitimate news site to post a false story.
A key target has been Lithuania, which sits between Russia’s client state Belarus and its exclave of Kaliningrad. In January, someone posted a false story on the Lithuanian news site kauno.diena.lt, or Kaunas Day, claiming that a U.S. soldier in Lithuania had COVID-19. (Since September, the country has hosted elements of the U.S. Army’s 1st Cavalry Division.) The story was up on the site for just a few minutes. Read More…
