ISW Unveils: Russia Strategically Exploits Hamas Attacks on Israel to Diminish Western Solidarity with Ukraine.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) illuminates Russia’s adept utilization of the recent ferocious Hamas assaults on Israel, orchestrating informational operations to attenuate U.S. and Western advocacy and focus towards Ukraine. Expert analysis implies that tailored narratives have been disseminated with a particular emphasis on curtailing military support for Ukraine and sapping the morale within Ukrainian society. Furthermore, the assertion that Ukraine will encounter a dwindling of international backing is also strategically designed to assuage Russian domestic audiences, insinuating that global endeavors towards Ukraine are ebbing.
Weaponizing Disinformation
Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, has advocated for the U.S. and its allies to channel a more substantial focus toward fostering a “Palestinian-Israeli settlement” and concurrently diminish their interference in Russian affairs. Concurrently, he has expressed critiques concerning military aid to Ukraine. The ISW discerns that the Kremlin is navigating a clear objective of diverting the international community’s gaze from Ukraine and is intentionally transposing media interest towards the discord in Israel.
Shifting Global Focus
The ISW notes that on October 7, an array of Russian information conduits precisely fixated their reporting on the turmoil unfolding in Israel, a development that could potentially recalibrate the informational landscape concerning the war in Ukraine in the ensuing days or weeks. Numerous Russian military bloggers have predominantly centered their content around the occurrences in Israel, and a universal appeal has emanated to others to “retain focus” on the conflict in Ukraine. Within this narrative, the ISW underscores that the precise impact of the Hamas offensives on Israel upon the informational ecosystem remains indeterminate at this juncture.
Image: Kremlin.ru, Vladimir Putin (2022-08-18) 02, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size modified)