This study addresses two major questions. First, how do different international events—the onset of war, civilian killings, and a significant geopolitical development (other than the onset of war)— impact the nature and frequency of pro-Russian narratives on social media? Second, how can states exploit various narratives to reduce domestic and international costs associated with different international developments and actions they undertake?
This report is the first in a series of two studies that examine the above questions across three social media platforms—Twitter, Telegram, and Weibo—to tap into potential variations in our observations depending on various audiences that are most likely to utilize each of the platforms.
This report titled “The Impact of Events in the War on Ukraine on Pro-Russian Narratives: The Case of Twitter” is part of the Asymmetric Threat Analysis Center (ATAC), a joint program between START and UMD’s Applied Research Lab for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS).
Publication Information
Radziszewski, Elizabeth, and Sean Doody. 2024. “The Impact of Events in the War on Ukraine on Pro-Russian Narratives: The Case of Twitter.” College Park, MD: START (May).