Russia's offensive against the West continues to escalate, demanding prompt attention. While the official Kremlin is coy with its endless stream of denials, Russian state media-a conduit for disseminating the officially approved agitprop of the government- explicitly admits that Russia is at war with the West. Russian politicians and leading propagandists boast that the West "slept through" the annexation of Crimea, the intervention in eastern Ukraine, and U.S. election interference. Russian state media provide a telling insight into Russia's malign influence operations. Instead of purely defensive measures, democratic societies should adopt a more proactive approach that includes analysis of Russian state media in order to decipher the Kremlin's true agenda.
Julia Davis is a featured Russian Expert at the Atlantic Council's Disinformation Portal and a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, Screen Actors Guild, Women In Film, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, and other prestigious guilds, unions, and organizations. An internationally known Russian Media Analyst, she created the website "Russian Media Monitor," which actively debunks propaganda and monitors Russian media. Ms. Davis writes as an Investigative Reporter, discussing foreign policy, propaganda, disinformation, and media literacy.