You will not be shocked to learn that the Institute for Strategic Dialogue have identified Kremlin-backed trolls as playing a major role in spreading disinformation online in the aftermaths of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in order to wreak havoc in the US. From the key points of the report:

“In the aftermath of hurricanes Milton and Helene, Russian state-affiliated media and social accounts have propagated narratives critical of the US government. In line with a long-standing propaganda strategy, these pro-Kremlin networks are amplifying content from domestic US sources that align with Russia’s political interests. Russian outlets have portrayed the Biden administration as incompetent, with the hurricane response used to illustrate perceived government failures writ large”

“Such narratives generally cite the supposed allocation of resources to Ukraine over domestic needs. Russian disinfo campaigns are generally spreading unchecked across platforms. This type of content is especially prominent on X (formerly Twitter), in line with other recent moderation failures identified by ISD. In one case, RIA Novosti (a Russian state-owned news agency primarily serving domestic audiences), shared AI-generated images on their Russian-language Telegram channel which purported to show devastation at Florida’s Disney World caused by Hurricane Milton. These images appear to have originated from a low-traction account on X, before being picked up and amplified by RIA Novosti and subsequently other Russian-language media,”