Russia Weaponization of Canada's Far Right and Far Left to Undermine Support for Ukraine

TL;DR

This paper explores how Russia used far-right and far-left Canadian online networks to influence public opinion on the Ukraine war.

Contribution

The study reveals a targeted Russian information campaign using Canadian political networks to undermine support for Ukraine.

Findings

At least 200,000 X accounts shared Russian-tailored content with millions of Canadians by 2023.

Ninety highly influential accounts were identified, mostly aligned with far-right or far-left ideologies.

These networks were more influential than those of Canada's MPs and top Canadian X accounts.

Abstract

This article details the Russian government's efforts to influence Canadians’ perceptions of the war in Ukraine. Specifically, we examined Russian information campaigns tailored to Canadian audiences on X (formerly known as Twitter) and the supportive ecosystems of accounts that amplify those campaigns. By 2023, this ecosystem included at least 200,000 X accounts that have shared content with millions of Canadians. We identified ninety accounts with an outsized influence. The vast majority of the influential Canadian accounts were far right or far left in orientation. These networks were among Canada's most prolific and influential political communities online. We determined this by comparing these networks’ potential influence to the online community engaging with Canada's 338 members of Parliament on X and a sample of twenty influential X accounts in Canada. The sophistication and proliferation of Canada-tailored narratives suggest a highly organized and well-funded effort to target Canadian support for Ukraine.

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