Kolga, Senior Fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier institute and the founder of Disinfowatch, was referring to the study, ‘Enemy of my Enemy’, published by the Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Data and Conflict at the University of Regina, the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland and the Toronto-based Digital Public Square organization.
The study reaffirms the confluence of fringe left and right narratives and the exploitation of these groups by Russian propagandists, especially through social media. Joining Kolga at a press conference releasing this in-depth analysis were Liberal MP John McKay, Shadow Minister for National Defence PC James Bezan, and NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson.
This seminal research uncovered approximately 200,000 Twitter accounts, shared with millions, supporting the Russian information-warfare campaign, customized specifically for Canadians. Canada has an enduring relationship with Ukraine and one of its largest diaspora communities worldwide. Canada has supported Ukraine by $8 billion in military and humanitarian aid since the Russian invasion. It’s thus not unexpected that Deputy P.M. Chrystia Freeland, of Ukrainian heritage, who has been advocating for Ukraine’s membership in NATO and has been suggested as its next possible Secretary General, is a constant target of Kremlin-friendly Twitter assaults.
