US linking Zero Hedge to Russia propaganda another phase in war

• The US’ new habit of releasing intelligence to counter what the government calls Russian propaganda has been well documented.
• Included in that were allegations US intelligence officials made to the Associated Press about a conservative financial website with few visible ties to Russia.
• The nature of the allegations and the way the US made them highlight the depth to which governments will go in the new information wars.

For months prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S. intelligence agencies released information about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans to attack the neighboring country.

Some of the releases came in the form of military intelligence, such as the map of Russia’s military positions detailing one possible route for a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Others came when officials from President Joe Biden’s administration made the rounds on Sunday morning talk shows to publicize intelligence on Russia, including a possible “false-flag” operation that detailed the gruesome visuals intended to create a pretext to invade Ukraine.

And some of the government’s other attempts to counter misinformation were conducted through anonymous sources leaking information to American media outlets.

Experts say the entire approach represents a departure for the U.S. and a new front in the info wars with Russia. 

Rather than fact-checking Putin’s claims, the U.S. has turned to declassifying intelligence to shut down Russian disinformation and propaganda – a much more aggressive tactic, according to M. Steven Fisher, a professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley.