É preocupante ver este tipo de propaganda a ser promulgada aqui no FD.
Recent events confirm that Russian propaganda has capitalized on the tragic murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina, by a Black man to inflame racial hatred and deepen social divisions in the U.S.. This incident aligns with Russia's long-standing disinformation tactics of exploiting existing racial tensions to undermine American society.
About the murder
On August 22, 2025, 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed while on a light rail train in Charlotte.
Video of the attack, which shows a 34-year-old Black man stabbing Zarutska from behind, circulated widely online.
The murder was quickly seized upon by right-wing influencers and commentators, who injected racial commentary into discussions of the crime.
Russian propaganda tactics
Amplifying domestic divisions: Instead of creating narratives from scratch, Russian troll farms often amplify existing divisive content from within the target country. In this case, they used the inflammatory commentary from U.S. sources to further their own agenda.
Exacerbating racial tensions: For years, Russian information operations have targeted U.S. racial divisions as a primary tactic to spread discord. By capitalizing on a Black suspect and a white, Ukrainian refugee victim, Russian actors were able to frame the killing as a racial issue to sow further distrust.
Instrumentalizing tragedies: Russia has a history of using tragedies to advance its political goals. This incident follows a pattern of instrumentalizing violence—particularly racialized violence—to portray the U.S. as a chaotic and failing society.
Circulating narratives: Following the murder, Russia ramped up its information campaigns in the U.S., leveraging the crime to push divisive online narratives, much like it has done after other high-profile events.
A documented pattern of behavior
This disinformation campaign is not an isolated incident. Russian troll farms have consistently exploited racial issues to create division in the U.S..
2016 and 2018 elections: Russian operatives heavily targeted African-American communities to suppress voter turnout and incite racial conflict.
Recent conflicts: The FBI and other intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned about Russia's ongoing efforts to create discord and undermine democracy by amplifying racial tensions.
