Disinformation Trends
MONITORING SNAPSHOT 10
4–17 February 2025
SUMMARY
DFRLab conducts a bimonthly analysis of data based on a search query including Ukrainian, Russian and English languages to identify when spikes of CBRN disinformation narratives are spreading. This report (4–17 February 2025) reveals a significant wave of coordinated disinformation claiming the attack on Chornobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) was a Ukrainian provocation specifically designed to derail peace talks and gain diplomatic leverage; recurring allegations that Ukraine deliberately prevented International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors from reaching Zaporizhzhia NPP while supposedly attacking it; claims about Ukraine’s capacity to develop “dirty bombs;” and ongoing conspiracy theories asserting COVID-19 was an engineered bioweapon.
BIOLOGICAL
DISINFORMATION:
Re-emerging claims about Covid-19 as a bioweapon
RADIOLOGICAL AND NUCLEAR DISINFORMATION:
Claims about alleged Ukrainian origin of attacks on Chornobyl NPP and accusations of tampering with IAEA work
EXAMPLES OF DISINFORMATION NARRATIVE TRENDS
Biological Disinformation
- Claims that COVID-19 was engineered as a bioweapon for population control
- Claims that Kirillov was assassinated for exposing George Soros and “biological war crimes”
Sources: Twitter/X
Radiological and Nuclear Disinformation
- Claims that the attack on Chornobyl NPP was a Ukrainian provocation designed to disrupt peace talks (link, link)
- Assertions that the Chornobyl provocation was specifically timed to gain a favorable position at the Munich Security Conference
- Allegations that Ukraine prevented IAEA staff from reaching Zaporizhzhia NPP for restaffing
- Claims that Ukraine has the capacity to develop a “dirty bomb” (link)
Sources: Telegram; X (Twitter); Web
IDENTIFYING DISINFORMATION TRENDS
The Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (GP) is committed to strengthening WMD disarmament and nonproliferation efforts. Disinformation campaigns significantly undermine cooperative threat reduction efforts. The GP Counter WMD Disinformation Initiative aims to track ongoing narratives, understand their impacts and counter state-sponsored or state-adjacent disinformation across Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) threats.
Narrative Trend Monitoring: As part of the GP efforts to identify, understand, and mitigate hostile CBRN disinformation, the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) conducts a bimonthly search query of state-sponsored or state-adjacent disinformation narratives. This real-time detection allows the initiative to swiftly recognize, isolate and respond to disinformation narratives and networks as they occur.
Methodology: This snapshot report is created from a search query that includes content in Ukrainian, Russian, and English languages, providing an extended search base and corpus of analysis and scale. The focus of the query is centered around CBRN–related messages about the Russian War on Ukraine on social media platforms and online news websites. The report provides examples of notable messages that are likely to include disinformation or key discussions that might be used in mis/disinformation in the future.
Disclaimer: Links are provided for published news sources of official state accounts; links to private accounts are excluded for privacy preservation reasons.