Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine surprised some in the West. But Russia’s president has been laying the groundwork for warfare for decades. Disinformation has long been one of his most precious and powerful weapons. It sows division among his enemies — before firing a single shot. This three-part New York Times Opinion Video documentary, OPERATION INFEKTION, which was originally published in 2018, deconstructs Putin’s ambitious disinformation campaigns and explains how the tactics endure, from the days of the Soviet Union through March 2022 in Ukraine. The film also documents how Russia’s neighbors, including Ukraine, are among the most sophisticated nations at countering Russian disinformation.
“Operation InfeKtion” reveals the ways in which one of the Soviets’ central tactics — the promulgation of lies about America — continues, from Pizzagate to George Soros conspiracy theories. Meet the K.G.B. spies who conceived this virus and the American truth squads that tried and are still trying to fight it. Countries from Pakistan to Brazil are now debating reality, and in Putin’s greatest triumph, Americans are using falsehoods out of Russia’s playbook against one another without the faintest clue.