How the ‘poisonous tide’ of disinformation spreads division and despair

Deepfake image from the fake documentary Olympics Has Fallen, produced by Russia-affiliated influence actor Storm-1679. It advanced pro-Kremlin disinformation and used the image and likeness of Tom Cruise, who did not participate in any such documentary. Illustration: Storm-1679/Microsoft Threat Analysis Center

Russian disinformation campaigns are varied in their falsehoods and strategies.

The narratives range from a deepfake Tom Cruise criticising the Paris Olympics to portraying a recent Russian attack on a train near the Ukraine-Poland border as a false-flag operation.