Russia, AI and the future of disinformation warfare
Think tank: RUSI
Author(s): Claudia Wallner; Dr Simon Copeland; Dr Antonio Giustozzi
June 30, 2025
This report from UK think tank RUSI explores how Russia is discussing, conceptualising and framing AI within their online communications.
This paper explores how Russian state-affiliated and state-aligned actors are discussing, conceptualising and framing AI within their online communications.
As generative AI technologies rapidly evolve, their implications for global information security are becoming more acute. This paper explores how Russian state-affiliated and state-aligned actors are discussing, conceptualising and framing AI within their online communications. Drawing on original analysis of communications from Russian-linked online channels, the paper investigates how actors in the Russian influence ecosystem perceive the role of AI in information warfare and what their narratives reveal about evolving threat trajectories.
The report finds that a diverse range of Russian actors are actively engaged in conversations about AI. These actors are not only discussing the use of AI tools to automate and amplify content, but also exploring the role of AI as a narrative device, boasting of its effectiveness, warning of its dangers and framing it as both a strategic asset and a potential threat.
