Materials published by the Center for Countering Disinformation on Instagram were analyzed. The analysis covered the period from November 1, 2023, to December 17, 2023. As a result, a dataset was created, which includes about forty individuals and several information sources. These individuals are used by Russian propaganda for their purposes, being labeled as “experts” for disinformation publications. This contributes to hybrid aggression against Ukraine and attempts to shape public opinion in Ukraine, Belarus, and other countries with Russian-speaking readers.
The goal was to identify which of these “soup mix” experts are used in the Belarusian information space to spread fake information.
The five most frequently mentioned individuals:
- Scott Ritter – 3341 mentions;
- Tucker Carlson – 2143 mentions;
- Douglas Macgregor – 1269 mentions;
- Larry Johnson – 350 mentions;
- Jimmy Dore – 217 mentions.
Scott Ritter and Douglas Macgregor were previously discussed in a July article “American Unreliable Experts”. They continued to be used in the Belarusian information space. There was a publication about Scott Ritter last year on Factcheck.ge.
Since last year, his account has been unblocked by network X (Twitter). See Scott Ritter’s show cover on the Rumble platform:
Ritter has been involved in various online sex scandals involving minors, leading to his conviction twice.
Tucker Carlson was mentioned in the third issue of Fact-checking Frontier.
Carlson became notorious for spreading a conspiracy theory in favor of the 45th President of the USA, Donald Trump, about the falsification of the 2020 presidential election results, including through voting machines — he was fired from Fox News for this slander. He became known to the Ukrainian audience after the start of the large-scale Russian war against Ukraine, regularly broadcasting Russian propaganda, praising dictator Vladimir Putin, and criticizing military and financial aid to Ukraine. He is a regular character in the programs of top Kremlin propagandists, who frequently broadcast his speeches.
Belarusian state media refer to Larry Johnson as a “former CIA analyst”:
Larry Johnson systematically promotes Russian narratives: discrediting Ukrainian authorities, talking about the oppression of the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine, and the “successes” of Russian military. More about this “analysis” can be found in a video prepared by VoxCheck in a joint project with the Center for Countering Disinformation.
Ex-advisor to Trump, former US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor, known for his pro-Russian stance in recent years, especially as a frequent guest on the Russian propaganda channel RT/Russia Today, where he repeats Kremlin theses.
Macgregor supported Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, and in March 2022, he called on Zelensky to give up Crimea and Donbass in exchange for preserving Ukraine in its current form.
Jimmy Dore is referred to as a political commentator in Belarusian publications. Vox Ukraine prepared a special article about the creative biography of Jimmy, an American stand-up comedian and host of The Jimmy Dore Show, where he spreads conspiracy theories.
In May 2022, Dore talked about microchips in coronavirus vaccines, using distorted excerpts from an interview with the CEO of Pfizer as evidence.
Analysis of the Collected Data
Now, let’s look at the distribution of mentions of the five selected “best of the best” experts in online media and social networks during the studied period:
The YouTube version of the interview with Scott Ritter on the ONT channel from April 26, 2023, gathered nearly 700,000 views!
The July spike in mentions is related to the release of a special program on Belarus 1 channel: A Pawn in the Hands of Special Services: A Spy on How Zelensky Sold Ukraine to the West. Katyusha’s Calculation
Here, Scott Ritter is mentioned as an American intelligence officer.
The May spike in mentions of Tucker Carlson is related to his dismissal from Fox News and the “concern” of Belarusian state media about freedom of speech in the USA.
At the end of August, the surge in interest was related to his statement that a war between the USA and Russia would start in 2024 as a way to avoid holding presidential elections in the USA. This was picked up and widely circulated by Russian and Belarusian propaganda.
It is also worth noting a couple of disinformation sources that Belarusian state media happily refer to:
- The YouTube channel Judging Freedom, 486 mentions. The channel is run by former New Jersey Supreme Court Judge Andrew Napolitano. The channel disseminates narratives consonant with Russian propaganda.
- Niezależny Dziennik Polityczny, 193 mentions. A publication that shows the circulation of disinformation narratives with reference to this edition
The analysis of materials prepared by the Center for Countering Disinformation allows identifying “experts” used for disinformation in both Ukraine and Belarus. This reveals possible schemes of hybrid aggression and attempts to influence public opinion, emphasizing the importance of combating disinformation to protect information security.
