American internet is flooded with Russian conspiracy theories about the murder of a conservative activist and commentator, Charlie Kirk. According to Bret Schafera, an expert on disinformation in the media with German Marshall Fund, in this way the Kremlin deepens divisions in the US and tries to weaken support for Ukraine.
– Russia has a long tradition of using polarization in America to achieve its own goals, and Kirk's murder is an ideal excuse to fuel divisions, “said Bret Schafer from GMF and emphasized that he had both die -hard supporters and opponents in America, shot during a meeting with students of the Utah Valley University University. Also among politicians. Therefore, according to PAP interlocutor, the Russians have a facilitated task and it is enough to publicize party messages of democrats and republicans.
According to the American media, including Associated Press and a portal specializing in media analysis of NewsguardRealiteck.com, false accusations about Kirk's death are also spread by Chinese and Iranian disinformation centers.
According to Newsguard from September 10, Kirk's murder day, until September 17, 6.2 thousand appeared in the official media of Russia, China and Iran. Mixtures about the death of the American.
Iranian propaganda accuses his murder of Israel, and the Chinese focus on the brutal character of Kirk's death. The American was shot in the neck and bleeded in front of the gathered, which is why Chinese propaganda presents the United States as a country of cruel weapons and extremists, heading towards the civil war.
According to the newsguard, however, the theories distributed by the Russian propaganda machine predominate, which not only fuels American divisions, but also spreads false information that Ukraine is behind the death of an American conservative.
For example, the Russian Information Agency TASS published the opinion of Artema Dmytruk, a deputy from Odessa, who escaped to Great Britain because of accusations of an attack on uniformed, who claimed that “in the murder Kirka dipped the fingers of the Zelanski regime.”
According to Ołena Czuranowa from the Ukrainian Fact-Checking STOPFake website, Artem Dmytruk is currently cooperating with Kremlin propagandists from RT (formerly Russia Today) and is a regular source of false information about the situation in Ukraine.
As Schafer explained, the narrative regarding the murder of Kirk is also imposed by Russian politicians, suggesting that an American conservative could become the target of pro -Ukrainian forces, who did not like his position on the war in Ukraine, or the “radical left” that could have been influenced by Ukrainians.
Kirk criticized American involvement in the help of fighting Ukraine. On October 12, 2023, he wrote, for example, on X that the war in Ukraine is “war without end”, and “deeply corrupt” Ukraine would never overcome Russia. He added that “the war goals of Ukraine include the occupation of” ethnically Russian regions, speaking Russian and wanting to be part of Russia. “
– Kirk was very critical of Zelanski and Ukraine, so it is not a surprise that Russian propagandists will try to use his public statements as evidence that Ukraine had somehow motivated to kill it, although such the thesis is completely wrong – the expert assessed.
As Schafer noted, accused of shooting Kirk 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from the state of Utah has already been captured and nothing indicates his relationship with Ukraine.
However, according to Czuranowa, the Russians do not resign from sipping propaganda about the “Ukrainian trail.” The interlocutor of PAP pointed out that Russian propagandists now disseminate false information about the uncle of the accused of killing Kirk, Mike Robinson, who supposedly to train the Ukrainian army, while this person is not only a relative of Tyler Robinson, but also has nothing to do with the Ukrainian army.
“Russia does not have to present convincing arguments in court, it is enough for people to convince people on the Internet,” Schafer said and emphasized that accusing Ukrainians of the perpetration of loud shootings in the US is a standard procedure of the conduct of Russian disinformation centers.
– They did exactly the same after the shooting of Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania (in 2024 during the election campaign – ed.), Hoping that maybe in this way they will even weaken support for Ukraine among conservatives – reminded Schafer.
In the opinion of the American expert, this time, this Russian information operation will not have much influence on the American public debate.
The topic of Kirk's death currently dominates in social and traditional media, and therefore, according to Schafer, taking into account the number of comments on the Internet, Russian messengers and state media will not be easy to break through.
– It is also difficult to find more polarizing messages than those flowing from our own media and political class, so suggesting that Russia has somehow tightened our debate will be stretched. We started with such a polarized position that it will be difficult to worsen the situation significantly – said Schafer.
Charlie Kirk was one of the leading figures of the American right and a close associate of President Trump. He founded the Turning Point USA organization, which aimed to mobilize young conservative voters, and also ran his own media.
Anna Gwozdowska (PAP)
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