A screen shot of Russia's RIA Novosti website, a state-owned outlet that picks up fringe content and out-of-context headlines from U.S. media to bolster Kremlin narratives - via VOA News screenshot
  • Russian state-run outlets are selectively using U.S. content to support Kremlin narratives, manipulating headlines and framing fringe figures as representative of broader American views.
  • The strategy involves highlighting figures that amplify anti-Western, anti-Israel, and anti-Ukrainian narratives, reaching millions of views on Russian search engines.
  • Fringe commentators, regardless of their actual influence in the U.S., are presented as influential bloggers or journalists, contributing to the appearance of greater support for fringe views.
  • Outlets like The Grayzone are exploited by Russian state media, with stories circulating between Russian and U.S. organizations, contributing to the credibility of the narratives promoted by the Kremlin.