Between September and December 2023, VIGINUM analysed the activity of a network of
"information portals" with similar characteristics, disseminating pro-Russian content and
targeting several western countries, including France.
Although this network of at least 193 sites initially covered news from Russian and Ukrainian
localities, it changed the day after Russia invaded Ukraine and started to target occupied
Ukrainian territories, then several western countries supporting Ukraine and its population.
The sites in this network do not produce any original content but massively relay publications
from sources that are primarily three types: social media accounts of Russian or pro-Russian
actors, Russian news agencies, and official websites of local institutions or actors.
The main objective seems to be to cover the Russo-Ukrainian conflict by presenting positively
"the special military operation" and denigrating Ukraine and its leaders. Very ideologically
oriented, this content repeatedly presents inaccurate or misleading narratives. As for the
portal targeting France, pravda-fr[.]com, it directly contributes to polarize the Francophone
digital public debate.
In order to reach a wide audience, this network uses several techniques such as the careful
selection of pro-Russian propaganda sources according to the targeted locality, massive
automation in the distribution of content, or search engines optimization.
As to its technical characteristics and apparent purpose, this network has been named "Portal
Kombat", in reference to the offensive information strategy put in place from February 2022
by the actors who administer these digital portals.
Authors
- Published in
- France
