US offers $10 million reward for information on Russian media organization accused of election interference

United States is providing a reward of up to $10 million for information that helps prevent or disrupts foreign election interference linked to the Russian state-sponsored Rybar media organization, the U.S. State Department announced. Rybar and its employees are accused of using social media to meddle in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

The established bounty comes as the U.S. continues to crackdown on Russian election #interference.

On Sept. 4, amid the presidential election campaign period, the U.S. announced sanctions against high-profile Russian propagandists like Margarita Simonyan and seized 32 internet domains linked to Kremlin propaganda campaigns.

#Rybar LLC, founded by the now deceased founder of Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is a state-funded Russian media organization that is contracted by Russian state-owned arms manufacturer #Rostec, according to the State Department's Rewards for Justice program.

https://kyivindependent.com/us-offers-10-million-reward-for-information-on-russian-media-organization-accused-of-election-interference/

#HybridWar #RussianAggression #Election2024 #elections #disinformation #RussianPropaganda

US offers $10 million reward for information on Russian media organization accused of election interference

The United States is providing a reward of up to $10 million for information that helps prevent or disrupts foreign election interference linked to the Russian state-sponsored Rybar media organization, the U.S. State Department announced. Rybar...

Russian disinformation 'more sophisticated' in election lead-up

According to him, Russia is using artificial intelligence and funding companies in the U.S., including an unnamed Tennessee-based company, identified by the media as #far-right propaganda outlet #TenetMedia.

“It's not just about #Russian #bots, #trolls, and fake personas in social networks, although that's part of it too, but they've become much more sophisticated," Kirby said.

He claimed there is “no doubt” the Kremlin is using propaganda and disinformation to “sow discord” among the U.S. population. He urged citizens to take the threats seriously.

https://kyivindependent.com/kirby-russian-disinformation-more-sophisticated-in-election-leadup/

#HybridWar #RussianPropaganda #Election22024 #disinformation #misinformation

Kirby: Russian disinformation 'more sophisticated' in election lead-up

According to U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, there is “no doubt” the Kremlin is using propaganda and disinformation to “sow discord” among the U.S. population.

Russia recycles old videos in attempt to show success against Ukraine's incursion

The Russian Defense Ministry published videos claiming to show successful strikes against Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast, but the videos were filmed in other locations and at other times, the Russian independent news outlet the Insider reported on Aug. 10.

The Russian Defense Ministry and state-controlled media circulated videos that they alleged show Russian forces defeating Ukrainian troops in the region. A video published Aug. 9 claimed to show Russian troops carrying out strikes against the Ukrainian military in bordering #Sumy Oblast in response to the Kursk incursion.

The video was in fact first posted weeks before the offensive, the Insider reported. The Russian state media outlet TASS published the video on July 14.

https://kyivindependent.com/russia-recycles-old-videos-in-attempt-to-show-success-against-ukraines-incursion-media-reports/

#Misinformation #propaganda #disinformation #StopRussianAggression #RussianPropaganda #Ukraine

Russia recycles old videos in attempt to show success against Ukraine's incursion, media reports

The Russian Defense Ministry published videos claiming to show successful strikes against Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast. One video was filmed in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, while another was first published three weeks before the Kursk...

Why #ISIS attacked #Russia and why Russia blames Ukraine

DOHA – The terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall #concert venue in a Moscow suburb was no bolt from the blue. The Kremlin dismissed U.S. intelligence warnings of an imminent attack by “extremists,” possibly to shift the blame to a convenient scapegoat when the attack came.

https://kyivindependent.com/opinion-why-isis-attacked-russia-and-why-russia-blames-ukraine/

#RussianPropaganda #terrorism #civilians #scapegoats #StandWithUkraine

Opinion: Why ISIS attacked Russia and why Russia blames Ukraine

DOHA – The terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue in a Moscow suburb was no bolt from the blue. The Kremlin dismissed U.S. intelligence warnings of an imminent attack by “extremists,” possibly to shift the blame to a convenient...

No sign so far from crash site images that Il-76 plane had large number of passengers

Photos and videos from the site of the Russian Il-76 plane crash, in which Russia claims 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed, do not indicate any signs that there were such a large number of people on the plane

"I'm not an expert, but if there were even photos and videos of our prisoners of war, (Russia) would have already posted it," Lubinets said, referring photographic evidence of the crash site

He said on air that he was "very surprised" by how quickly Russia reacted to the crash which parallels the case of Olenivka, a Russian #POW camp where an explosion in July 2022 killed 57 Ukrainian POWs & injured over 100

https://kyivindependent.com/ombudsman-no-evidence-from-crash-site-images/

#WarCrimes #RussiaInvadedUkraine #Il-76 #disinformation #RussianPropaganda #StandWithUkraine

Ombudsman: No sign so far from crash site images that Il-76 plane had large number of passengers

Photos and videos from the site of the Russian Il-76 plane crash, in which Russia claims 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed, do not indicate "any signs that there were such a large number of people on the plane," Chief Ombudsman Dmytro...

Some POWs from Russian list of Il-76 crash victims had already been exchanged

The list of prisoners of war claimed by Russian propagandists to have been on board the Il-76 aircraft that crashed on Jan. 24 includes those who had already been swapped before

Ukraine's military intelligence agency said that a prisoner swap was indeed planned for Jan. 24, but it did not happen. The agency's spokesperson, Andrii Yusov, added that the claim about Ukrainian prisoners on board is currently being verified

According to Lubinets, photos and videos from the site of the Russian Il-76 aircraft crash do not indicate any signs that there were such a large number of people on the plane

https://kyivindependent.com/ombudsman-some-pows-from-russian-list-of-il-76-crash-victims-had-already-been-exchanged/

#RussianWarCrimes #RussiaInvadedUkraine #Il-76 #RussianPropaganda #Ukraine #StandWithUkraine

Ombudsman: Some POWs from Russian list of Il-76 crash victims had already been exchanged

The list of prisoners of war claimed by Russian propagandists to have been on board the Il-76 aircraft that crashed on Jan. 24 includes those who had already been swapped before , Ukraine's chief Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets told Sky News on Jan. 25.

Russia lied about ship inspection in Black Sea

Note: The image displayed is independent from this article. The map image shows the track of the cargo ship during and after the alleged event. The speed of the Sukru Okan remained between 7.2 and 9.8 knots during the displayed track. The track will be available for a few days after which it will only be available to those with a paid account at #MarineTraffic Ref: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:29.8/centery:44.7/zoom:9

InformNapalm, a Ukrainian open-source intelligence outfit, reported on Aug. 13 that the Russian authorities had lied about a Russian ship firing warning shots in the Black Sea earlier on the same day.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Aug. 13 that Vasily Bykov, a Russian patrol boat, had fired warning shots after the captain of the Palau-flagged cargo ship #SukruOkan failed to respond to a request to inspect the vessel.

According to InformNapalm, the ministry also lied about the successful inspection of the vessel.

“Sukru Okan did not comply with the demand to stop, but temporarily changed its course in the direction of Turkish territorial waters,” the report reads. “There was no helicopter and no warning shots either. There were only threats from the Russians over the radio.”

https://kyivindependent.com/open-source-intelligence-russia-lies-about-inspecting-palau-flagged-cargo-ship-in-black-sea-heading-to-ukraine/

#RussiaInvadedUkraine #BlackSea #RussianPropaganda #InformationWarfare #blockade #GrainExport #lies #propaganda #Ukraine #StandWithUkraine

370 pro-Russian disinformation sites discovered in Bulgaria

An analysis by the Sofia-based Human and Social Studies Foundation identified 370 websites spreading Russian propaganda and disinformation, Euractiv wrote on June 20.

The research, presented last week in Sofia, indicated that the fast growth of the so-called "mushroom sites" is one of the causes of the rapid spread of Russian propaganda in the country.

Mushroom sites are online media websites created in bulk by malicious actors to spread propaganda and disinformation.

"In 2022, Russian propaganda spread powerfully in the Bulgarian online space. Compared to the previous year, 2021, by the end of 2022, it rose almost 20 times. Propaganda increased in two periods – at the beginning and the end of the year," Euractiv cited the analysis.

https://kyivindependent.com/400-pro-russian-disinformation-sites-dicoverd-in-bulgaria/

#RussiaInvadedUkraine #InformationWarfare #misinformation #propaganda #disinformation #RussianPropaganda #Bulgaria #websites #media #MediaWebsites #OnlineSpace #SocialMedia #RussianAggression #Ukraine #StandWithUkraine

Media: 370 pro-Russian disinformation sites discovered in Bulgaria

An analysis by the Sofia-based Human and Social Studies Foundation identified 370 websites spreading Russian propaganda and disinformation, Euractiv wrote on June 20.

OBTF Cascade: The military unit where the Russian elite get to ‘play war’ in Ukraine

Welcome to #OBTF Cascade, the Russian military unit that allows career politicians and their military-aged sons to play war in Ukraine – at a safe and comfortable distance from the blood being spilled on the frontline

By creating the elite Cascade unit, which is believed to consist of around a hundred members, the Kremlin could show that no one – not even the country’s politicians – were too important to be exempt from military duty.

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230511-obtf-cascade-the-military-unit-where-the-russian-elite-get-to-play-war-in-ukraine

#RussiaInvadedUkraine #InformationWarfare #Propaganda #RussianPropaganda #Cascade #misinformation #RussiaUkraineWar #military #MilitaryDuty #Kremlin #Putin

OBTF Cascade: The military unit where the Russian elite get to ‘play war’ in Ukraine

Want to boast that you fought for the homeland, but without risking your life? Welcome to OBTF Cascade, the Russian military unit that allows career politicians and their military-aged sons to play war…

Twitter lifts restrictions on Russian top government accounts

Kremlin-linked accounts are now featured in Twitter’s algorithm-driven “For You” feed for new users at the top of specific search results and show up in suggestions to follow

https://kyivindependent.com/telegraph-twitter-lifts-restriction-on-putins-official-account/

#RussiaInvadedUkraine #Twitter #RussianPropaganda

Telegraph: Twitter lifts restrictions on Russian top government accounts

The Telegraph reported that Twitter had removed search restrictions on Russian President Vladimir Putin's official Twitter account, as well as Russia's Foreign Ministry and Russian Embassy in London accounts.

Olenivka prison attack: Who really attacked a prison of POWs?

Analysis of video and photographs from the scene, satellite imagery from before and after the attack and the work of forensic and weapons experts concludes the Russian version of events is very likely a fabrication.

Previous strikes involving HIMARS rockets have left craters evident on satellite imagery, along with extensive damage. The images (above) show the impact of a Ukrainian HIMARS strike earlier in July that destroyed a warehouse in Nova Kakhovka.

https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2022/08/europe/olenivka-donetsk-prison-attack/

#UkraineRussiaWar #WarCrimes #HIMARS #RussianWarCrimes #POWs #Olenivka #RussianInformationWarfare #InformationWarfare #RussianPropaganda #StandWithUkraine #murder #RussiaTerroristState

Russia claims Ukraine used US arms to kill jailed POWs. Evidence tells a different story.

Olenivka prison attack: Russia claims Ukraine used US arms to kill jailed POWs. Evidence tells a different story.