The G7 countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States – along with their partners, have assured that they recognize the dangers posed by disinformation and influence campaigns funded by the Kremlin and will unite efforts to counter this malicious activity.
This was stated in a joint declaration on behalf of the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism (G7 RRM), with the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand also observing.
"The G7 RRM notes recent statements by the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada exposing the ongoing covert activities of Russian state media outlet RT (formerly Russia Today) and the Social Design Agency (SDA). These statements reveal that the Kremlin has funded and directed covert efforts by these entities to subvert societies using global disinformation and influence campaigns," the declaration says.
It highlights that RT and SDA use deceptive tactics aimed at exploiting social and political issues to polarize and destabilize societies, undermine and delegitimize elected governments, and promote the Kremlin's malicious interests. These actions by Russian entities also serve to distract from war crimes in Ukraine and the humanitarian crises caused by Russia's aggressive war.
The statement emphasizes that the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism takes external information manipulation and interference extremely seriously.
"G7 RRM members will continue to shed light on these malign activities, which may include but are not limited to state-backed hostile cyber activities, psychological and information operations, and covert influence," the statement says.
Since its establishment, the G7 RRM has focused on countering disinformation funded by foreign states.
"The G7 RRM and likeminded global partners stand together in countering these ongoing malign activities," the member countries stressed.
