Russia pushed disinformation on social media about hurricanes Milton and Helene

Russian actors pushed disinformation campaigns on social media around hurricanes Milton and Helene in an attempt to sow distrust in the American government and stoke outrage over Ukrainian support ahead of November’s election, according to a new analysis.

In the aftermath of the two national disasters, Russian state-affiliated media and social accounts amplified false narratives that were critical of the U.S. government. The accounts widely portrayed the Biden administration as “incompetent,” and used the response to the hurricanes “to illustrate perceived government failures write large,” the analysis said. The posts included misleading claims that the U.S. allocated resources to Ukraine, which is deep in war with Russia, over Americans own domestic needs.

The false information has spread largely “unchecked” on social media platforms by Russian outlets and other pro-Kremlin accounts, largely on X, according to the analysis.

“This strategy fits within a broader pattern of Russian interference, where existing societal divisions are deepened through targeted information campaigns designed to erode trust in democratic institutions,” the Institute for Strategic Dialogue wrote in a post on Thursday.

The Russian accounts heavily promoted false narratives that originated from U.S. figures, including billionaire Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump.

“By focusing on directly linking alleged government failures and US aid to Ukraine, Russia attempts to paint the Ukraine aid as actively harmful to US citizens in order to reduce public support for financial and material aid for the conflict,” the think tank wrote in the analysis. “With only a few weeks left until the U.S. faces a high-stakes presidential election, and in lieu of social media platforms providing the appropriate safeguards for users, maintaining vigilance on checking the sources of posts related to developing new stories will be crucial.”