Dozens of Canberrans living near the Russian embassy have received propaganda pamphlets, urging support for the Kremlin's "great work" in Ukraine.
The embassy has denied involvement in the pamphlets, which describe Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine as "fantastic ... liberating efforts for the benefit of all mankind".
A Russian propaganda expert warns the "disgusting" letters are part of a broader attempt by the Kremlin and its local supporters to sow discord over the invasion.
The letters urge Canberrans to support Russian "liberation" efforts by lobbying local politicians and media, while telling friends about "Russia's good deeds".
"Tell everyone what a good job Russia is doing! Peace will come when Russia wins. Help speed this up today," it read.
The Canberra Times has confirmed the letters, which have no contact information or sender details, appeared in at least three streets in Griffith, all within walking distance of the Russian embassy.
Griffith resident Rae Harvey was outraged when she opened her mailbox this week, saying her initial thoughts were: "I can't be reading this".
Ms Harvey described "every single thing" in the letter, which spouts conspiracies theories about COVID-19 and Ukrainian biolabs, as a lie.
"At first I thought it's from the Ukrainian people, because they get outside the embassy. I totally support what they're doing, and wished that I could help them," she said.
"Then I started reading it a bit more, and I realised what it was and I was just astounded.
"I just wish I could have seen the person walking past, and had a chance to stop them and tell them how we all know they're lying."
The Russian embassy flatly rejected involvement.
"The embassy and its employees have nothing to do with this letter," a spokesperson said.
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Labor MP Alicia Payne, whose electorate includes the area targeted, reiterated Australia's support for Ukraine and took aim at the pamphlets.
"This is concerning and would be distressing for many people in our community," she said.
"We condemn Russia's unilateral, illegal and immoral aggression against the people of Ukraine, and we have consistently called on Russia to immediately withdraw its forces from Ukrainian territory."
'Propaganda machine'
Ilya Fomin, president of the Svoboda Alliance NSW, believes the Russian government is "directly involved" in spreading misinformation in Australia.
Mr Fomin, whose organisation seeks to highlight human rights abuses in Russia, said the "disgusting" leaflets fit a broader pattern of Russian attempts to sway public opinion.
"Unfortunately, it is a successful tactic to convert the dissatisfaction Australians have about certain social issues and tensions, irrespective of the reasons or how genuine the anger is, to the support of Putin's war machine," he said.
"'The enemy of my enemy is my friend' is the sentiment the Kremlin wants to ignite in people, when they try to create tensions between the people and the government in Western countries."
Two so-called "marches for Australian neutrality" were organised by pro-Kremlin activists in Sydney during spring.
Pamphlets for the events claim both Russian and Australian soldiers "fight for freedom", and depict Australian national iconography, like the Eureka Stockade Flag, alongside Russian nationalist symbols.
Mr Fomin said pro-Kremlin propaganda flourishes among disaffected and conspiracy-prone people, using what has been described as a "firehose of falsehoods".
That played out during the Convoy to Canberra protests in Canberra, when The Canberra Times revealed Simeon Boikov - better known as the "Aussie Cossack" - was invited into Parliament by then-United Australia Party leader Craig Kelly.
The avowedly pro-Putin Boikov, who has been described as a "self-declared agent of Russia" and publicly called for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to be "liquidated", was a prominent member of the anti-mandate movement that descended on Canberra.
The convoy was largely organised via the encrypted messaging app Telegram, and many of the channels that once hosted anti-vaccine conspiracies are now laced with Russian misinformation.
Mr Fomin said, "Vocal local activists are an essential part of the Russian propaganda machine.
"Boikov is a perfect example of such a talking head, and he successfully uses all conspiracy theories."
