The only thing truly standing between Vladimir Putin and the rest of the civilized world is The United States.
Sure, things have been somewhat calm between the two nations as of late, but this is an artificial lull in the action. Make no mistake, both nations still have hundreds, if not thousands, of nuclear weapons aimed at each other, dancing that apocalyptic dance called “mutually assured destruction”.
There are still technicians waiting in underground bunkers for the orders to launch. The war may be cold, but that truly only means that we won’t get a warning.
Plus, Vladimir Putin and his Kremlin cronies are continuing to attempt to harm Americans via the internet, day in and day out…and they’re using coronavirus to do so.
U.S. officials say Russian intelligence officers are spreading disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic through English-language websites, trying to exploit a crisis that America is struggling to contain before the presidential election in November.
Two Russians who have held senior roles in Moscow’s military intelligence service known as the GRU have been identified as responsible for a disinformation effort meant to reach American and Western audiences, according to U.S. government officials. They were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday.
The government in Moscow didn’t take kindly to the rumors.
Russian officials on Wednesday rejected the accusations as “conspiracy theories” and a “persistent phobia.” One of the sites singled out by the U.S. posted a response denouncing as “categorically false” the American assertions that it was linked to the Russian military intelligence service or was involved in propaganda.
This certainly wouldn’t be the first time that Russia has attempted to pull the wool over some Americans’ eyes, and as this Cold War continues to turn digital, it will be up to all of us to remain vigilant against the spread of dangerous misinformation.
