Russia leveraged hurricane disinformation to deepen U.S. divisions

A new analysis reveals that Russia has been spreading disinformation about Hurricanes Helene and Milton to deepen political divisions in the U.S. and undermine support for Ukraine. The misleading posts were largely spread unchecked on social media by Russian state media accounts and pro-Kremlin networks. These narratives included portraying the Biden administration as incompetent or corrupt, and FEMA as unable to provide adequate assistance due to the government's support for immigrants. Russia's strategy is to amplify divisive domestic issues to weaken public trust in institutions and undermine the stability of liberal democracies. The disinformation campaign also tied the FEMA response to Ukraine, aiming to show U.S. support for Ukraine as harmful to U.S. citizens. FEMA warned earlier this month that an avalanche of mis- and disinformation surrounding the recent hurricanes was impeding federal response efforts. Meteorologists faced threats and conspiracy theories, including false assertions that the government controlled the weather, which Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene helped spread. Russian disinformation is now hiding in plain sight, with the goal of manipulating political discourse in the U.S. and influencing the outcome of the presidential race.