Wave of Absurd Disinformation in the US: How Putin Is Involved

Wave of absurd disinformation in the US: how Putin is involved in this Vera Konoval

Recently, Hurricane Milton raged in the United States, causing considerable damage to the state of Florida. However, it has also become one of the main topics for the spread of disinformation narratives.

They were quickly picked up by far-right radicals who began an absurd disinformation campaign. Uriel Epstein, executive director of the Renew Democracy Initiative, told Channel 24 what its consequences are and what Russia has to do with it.

How disinformation affects the United States

Baseless conspiracy theories about weather modification and other false claims about Hurricane Milton are only adding to the hoaxes about Hurricane Helen and its aftermath. The outbreak of disinformation has prompted local officials and some politicians to take action, condemning the absurd claims about the storms' origins.

Unfortunately, this misinformation is not just in the US, it's all over the world. You see a significant number of far-right extremists spreading this misinformation in the US. I was shocked when a friend of mine who works on this topic told me that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had to move some of its operations in one of the southeastern states because of threats from local police who saw National Guard troops, – said Uriel Epstein.

So even local police believe in absurd misinformation and are actually threatening people who were trying to help during a natural disaster. While the situation is not unprecedented, the spread of false information has become a greater threat today.

Please note! Hurricane Milton, which became the third major storm to hit Florida in three months, strengthened from a Category 1 storm to a raging Category 5 storm in less than 24 hours. It has caused at least $50 billion in damage to the United States and killed at least 23 people. In addition, due to the hurricane, Joe Biden postponed the Rammstein meeting, which was supposed to take place in Germany on October 12.

“This is something that right-wing extremists in the United States have seized on, escalating the situation. Of course, this has not gone unnoticed by our adversaries abroad. Vladimir Putin is not just making up lies out of thin air. The strategy of Russia, China, and Iran regarding disinformation in the West is to use existing disinformation narratives and make them worse,” Epstein explained.

So, given the spread of disinformation about the recent US hurricanes, Joe Biden, in particular, is dealing with “unfriendly countries.” They are now trying to further weaken the United States by any means necessary.