The Australian Government joins the United Kingdom and other international partners in expressing serious concerns about Russia's continued use of disinformation globally, including efforts to justify its illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has used disinformation to incite anti-Ukraine protests and weaken support for Ukraine's defence of its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression.
This includes the concerning activities of the Social Design Agency and Structura - two firms funded by the Kremlin - and their leadership. These firms are running a large disinformation network known as "Doppelgänger". It has targeted the US and Europe with a high volume of fake articles published as legitimate news.
Disturbingly, Russia's malign activities in Europe, including malicious cyber activity, sabotage, arson and interference campaigns have been designed to undermine democracy and destabilise communities.
While their work is clumsy, ineffective and a desperate attempt to mask the truth about Russia's senseless war, Australia remains clear-eyed: we will not tolerate interference activities by Russia.
The Australian Government will continue to coordinate with partners and take strong action to counter Russia's destabilising behaviour.
