Russia’s disinformation efforts on the Internet go far beyond electoral interference. State Department officials talking to the Wall Street Journal Russia is said to be conducting a disinformation campaign using at least four online publications and a series of social media accounts to shake confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines that compete with Sputnik-V. Points of sale New Eastern Outlook, News Front, Oriental Criticism and Rebel Inside all cast unsubstantiated doubts about vaccines like Pfizer’s, falsely calling mRNA delivery a “radical experimental technology” that was dangerous and less effective.
All four sites are “directly” linked to Russian agencies like the FSB security service and SVR foreign intelligence, according to a US official. The social accounts linked to these publications were mostly withdrawn, although some of their non-English accounts were active recently, in early 2021.
The State Department acknowledged the findings in a statement to the WSJ, but did not provide direct evidence linking the sites to the Russian government. This was a “joint interagency” discovery that Russia has “direct responsibility” for spreading falsehoods, the representative said. Russia has denied the allegations in its own response, but it also has a long history of denying misinformation and hacking campaigns, despite strong evidence.
Russian leaders have a strong incentive to attack rival vaccines. The country clearly hopes to increase sales of Sputnik-V, but it also believes it is using the vaccine to influence the world. A country willing to buy these photos may be receptive to other Russian businesses, for example.
There is not much the United States can do to shut down its own sites when they are owned and operated by foreigners. However, the findings can easily increase pressure on the U.S. government and social media to crack down on misinformation about vaccines. Much like the conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19, false vaccine claims can be genuinely dangerous, causing people to skip life-saving vaccines or even attack agencies that distribute and promote vaccines.