Ukraine’s Narrative War: Combating Russian Disinformation in Latin America and the Caribbean
Photo by Sebastián Vivallo Oñate / Agencia Makro / Getty Images
Center for Strategic and International Studies
While separated by the Atlantic Ocean, the use of modern media, in addition to economic pressure and geopolitical relationships, has narrowed the distance between Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and the Russia-Ukraine war. Through disinformation campaigns, Russia has worked to make itself an ally to LAC countries against the “neocolonial” West, undermine support for NATO, and open avenues for Russian-LAC trade in order to lessen the economic impacts of Western sanctions. These efforts have proven successful, and LAC countries remain hesitant to speak out against Russia in the conflict. As Ukraine looks for support across the LAC region, it must simultaneously counteract Russian disinformation, build upon existing, and, in some cases, invest in new media relationships to broaden its reach and work with local and federal governments to solidify Ukraine’s economic, social, and political connections to LAC countries.
Russia’s Media Landscape in LAC
Since President Vladimir Putin came into power in 2000, his government has engaged in active media campaigns throughout LAC, with a notable uptick occurring in 2014 (prior to Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine) and again in 2022. In 2014, Russia made a conscious effort to broadcast the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which was Russia’s substantive entry into LAC. Moscow’s appeal to the LAC region was that, similar to Russia itself, LAC has never fully been part of the liberal world order, nor has it been taken seriously by the West, so, therefore, should not be beholden to its rules. This message percolates throughout much of LAC media with relative ease. Russia’s two main media outlets in the region, Russia Today (RT) en Español and Sputnik Mundo, reach an audience of approximately 32 million. In 2023, RT en Español ranked second and ninth in Colombia and Chile, respectively, in terms of X (formerly Twitter) influence; in comparison, U.S. Voice of America, the closest affiliate to the U.S. government, did not make the top 100. In addition to RT en Español and Sputnik Mundo, Russia engages with local social media influencers to spread their content across social media platforms and coordinates extensively with LAC state-run media to make their narrative campaigns appear organic to their LAC audiences.
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