40,365 Kremlin-backed stories target UK as Russia ramps up disinformation barrage of online propaganda

A rising flow of claims

Osavul, a risk intelligence firm that tracks hybrid threats and supplies technology to Nato, found that Kremlin-backed media output about the UK rose in September. It counted around 40,365 stories that month, about 15 per cent more than before, and reported similar levels in October.

Posts falsely claimed Britain had fired Storm Shadow missiles at Voronezh and that police were threatening arrests over air-conditioner use. Other messages warned of widespread power cuts and an energy crisis, while omitting the government’s statement that the wider grid was never at risk.

Osavul said the volume meant that people searching in English for information on British politics, security or constitutional issues could encounter a meaningful share of material shaped by Moscow. It described the blackout claims as a clear example of a real event being reframed to suggest state weakness.

Claims about Britain’s role

Other messages said Andy Burnham was powerless to stop the country’s collapse and criticised his stated priorities. A post about Sir Keir Starmer’s tenure linked it to gangs involved in child sexual exploitation, referring to criticism of the government’s handling of a probe into grooming gangs.

Experts said Britain’s support for Ukraine has contributed to Russia viewing the UK as an enemy. Keir Giles, a Chatham House senior consulting fellow, said the United States was no longer in that role because its leadership was willing to pursue Russian objectives.

Experts warn of social division

Giles said Russia sought to create conditions in which it could deceive the public, including by setting people against one another over emotive issues. He cited the Brexit referendum as an example of efforts that went beyond promoting one side of a vote.

Former Tory defence minister Tobias Ellwood called the threat to the UK huge and said it had grown substantially with social media. Shadow national security minister Alicia Kearns said disinformation was a cheap and accessible way to weaken public confidence in governments.

Government plans response

Last month, the prime minister announced plans for a National Centre for Information Defence to address Russian information warfare. He said Britain had faced an “industrial-scale assault” by hostile states.

The article says Russia’s closer relations with Donald Trump and Britain’s backing for Ukraine have added to the UK’s exposure to propaganda. It does not include further details of the government’s response.