Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Context

Stories in the Context section are not fakes. We publish them in order to provide greater insight for our readers about the techniques, methods and practices used by the Russian government in its information war. They appear on our site with the permission of their original publisher and reflect the views of the authors and not necessarily the position of StopFake’s editorial board.

Russian Propaganda: Ways and Means

Thank you Mr. Chairman. First, a disclaimer: the testimony I am about to give will be given in my capacity as a private expert and...

Social Media Users Factcheck Mainstream News Coverage of Russian Plane Crash in Egypt

The news of a a Russian passenger plane crash in the Egyptian Sinai desert on October 31 has remained one of the top news...

Irony Alert: Russia Today Slams Media Outlets Too Close To Power

Notorious propaganda outfit Russia Today is running commercials bashing the media for being too cozy with power? No, really. In an ad airing on RT’s Policking With...

Want to Research the Russian Internet But Don’t Speak Russian? We Can Help.

This article is part of a larger guidebook by RuNet Echo to help people learn how to conduct open-source research on the Russian Internet....

Russian lawmakers reportedly consider adding ISIS to list of “undesirable” NGOs

The Russian government has a formal list of what it calls “undesirable organizations.” Any group on this list is said to threaten the country’s...

Ukraine Ban on Russian Symbols Fuels Fight Over National Identity

A young policeman knocked on Ivan M. Papchenko’s front door one recent afternoon, brandishing a complaint from the National Memory Institute of Ukraine and...

Russia conceals its military casualties as part of propaganda war

In the four weeks since Russia entered the conflict in Syria, Moscow has waged a fierce campaign for the hearts and minds of ordinary...

Sweden eyeing Nato help in propaganda wars

Sweden is considering joining a Nato centre for strategic communication to boost its expertise in fighting propaganda wars in the social media world, said...

‘Unprecedented’ Challenge in Countering Adversarial Propaganda, Official Says

The United States is facing an unprecedented challenge in countering the propaganda of adversaries who recruit and easily spread misinformation through the Internet, a...

Actor ‘can’t stop laughing’ as Russian ambassador tweets ‘terrorist’ photo

Actor Kal Penn has found himself mistaken for a terrorist -- again. After his character, Kumar Patel, was flagged as an Islamic extremist in the...