A new report from the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) details a coordinated influence operation by Russian and Iranian actors aimed at U.S. conservative audiences — especially online communities that identify with the MAGA movement. The campaign deploys inauthentic accounts, false-flag conspiracy narratives, and a handful of high-visibility American influencers to steer debate and widen ideological rifts.

A new report from the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) details a coordinated influence operation by Russian and Iranian actors aimed at U.S. conservative audiences — especially online communities that identify with the MAGA movement. The campaign deploys inauthentic accounts, false-flag conspiracy narratives, and a handful of high-visibility American influencers to steer debate and widen ideological rifts.

From 1 May to 10 June 2025 researchers logged more than 675,000 posts promoting false-flag explanations for shootings, bombings and other violence. These claims usually allege that the U.S. government, Israel, or “globalists” staged events to tighten control or **discredit conservatives. Most amplification appeared on X, Telegram and TikTok feeds with large pro-Trump followings.

The surge almost always begins with anonymous bot accounts. Many sport profile pictures of U.S. soldiers or bald eagles but show machine-translated phrasing typical of Russian sources. After a few days of generic pro-Trump memes, the accounts pivot to sharper disinformation wrapped in anti-Biden or anti-NATO rhetoric.

  • Saleh@feddit.org
    0·
    22 days ago

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Contagion_Research_Institute

    Media scholar Jack Bratich has criticized the NCRI for a lack of neutrality, accusing it of being used to target domestic dissenters labelled as threats.[17] In 2021, the NCRI was criticized by Matthew Lyons of the anti-fascist project Three Way Fight for equating undesirable political views on the left and right, particularly in the wake of the George Floyd protests and for allegedly aligning with state security interests.[18]

    In a public lecture on May 13, 2022, Hetz CEO Eran Teboul stated that the organization has privately raised funds for NCRI, during an event hosted by the Norwegian nonprofit Med Israel for fred (MIFF).[19]

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/With_Israel_for_Peace

    With Israel for Peace (Norwegian: Med Israel for fred, MIFF) is a Norwegian pro-Israel organisation. It styles itself as a “non-religious, non-partisan pro-Israel organisation”, and has 14,000 registered members as of 2024.[1] A main concern of the organisation is what it sees as a negative bias towards Israel in mainstream Norwegian media coverage. The director of the organisation is Conrad Myrland, and the president is Lars Johan Nordgård.

    Hasbara organizations complaining that their propaganda is met with the same counter tactics.

    Why Ukrainian media is stupid to follow it is beyond me though. With the US getting dragged into the Middle East and Governments like Germany doubling down on their blind support for Israel, Ukraine will face a lot of negative consequences. First of all the military support by the Western countries will take a hit. More importantly this will lead to a huge spike in the oil and gas prices and likely soften European sanctions against Russia, pumping a lot of money into the Russian war chest and economy.

    A major war in West Asia will be detrimental to Ukraine.

    • IceFoxX@lemmy.world
      0·
      22 days ago

      Do you celebrate Hamas? Do you celebrate rapists and killed Ukrainians? Are you so into Russian propaganda? Do you love Iranian shahed drones wiping out Ukrainian lives? Do you love raping and slaughtering western nationals?

      • opavader@lemmy.world
        0·
        22 days ago

        one is getting all the help to defend itself other is getting all the help and praise for butchering kids in school, hospitals and having their family shot trying to get them food.

        but given how racism is leaking all over your comment, systematic murder of “brown moslims” is worth celebrating. many people are now ashamed of voicing support for ukraine given how hyporatic it feels after what we did to gaza.

        • IceFoxX@lemmy.world
          0·
          22 days ago

          My comment is racist? Says the scum filled with hate and racism. I was merely asking questions, not making a statement. But your hostile way of answering shows that you are a traitor to your country.

          • opavader@lemmy.world
            0·
            22 days ago

            a two week old account braying patriotism to defend baseless racist fear-mongering.

            traitor and what else ? i am not a true christian ? bible commands me to obey netanyahu ? wmd ? they got aluminum tubes, ALUMINUM ?

            this stupid shite might on work on reddit and twitter.

            • IceFoxX@lemmy.world
              0·
              22 days ago

              So someone who celebrates Ukrainian deaths and Ukrainian abducted raped and killed children… but at the same time condemns the killing of terrorist supporters.

              Ohh 2 weeks… oh there was something about lemm.ee…

              But I get it, you get off when western children are killed… You’re really into that…

              What is a supporter of terrorism if not a traitor to the country…

    • real_squids@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      0·
      22 days ago

      It’s just one relatively shit outlet, not an entire country’s “media”. Go ahead and try looking up their staff, bc their website and (small) twitter page are just your average aggregator with no “about us” page in sight. FFS their telegram page, which is most likely the most used network in Ukraine has 13 subs. It’s not a good source.