The Increasing Vulnerability of American Society to Russian Disinformation Today

Abstract

Russian disinformation is no new phenomenon. Its international distribution has been recognized extensively, particularly in light of recent US and European elections, as well as Russia's broader goals in its unprovoked war of aggression on Ukraine. However, recent developments within domestic American politics make the United States particularly vulnerable to Russian disinformation. In light of US President Trump's first known call with Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2025, it is important to understand how the Russian disinformation network can be used to exploit this vulnerability leading up to possible peace negotiations. This article examines Russia's deployment of disinformation in the United States from the run-up to the 2024 presidential election through President Biden's final Ukraine aid announcement in December 2024. In doing so, it seeks to explain how contemporary Russian disinformation adapts to the changing domestic contexts and effectively utilizes existing discourse to sow divisions in the American populace. It then examines how certain policy decisions of the Trump administration have made the new government more vulnerable to such disinformation. It is important for American and world leaders to understand how America might be particularly susceptible around negotiations; however, the deployment of Russian disinformation is a permanent fixture of Putin's regime. Therefore, American and other world leaders would be wise to understand their own vulnerabilities to Russian influence no matter how and when negotiations end.