A half a billion dollars a year spent to get the Kremlin's message out. An army of trolls on a mission to influence foreign news coverage. The most widespread disinformation campaign since the end of the Cold War.
And the result? According to a new poll on global attitudes, Russia's brand is in the toilet.
The numbers are devastating. Globally, just 30 percent view Russia favorably. In Europe, just 26 percent do. By large margins, Russia is viewed negatively in every region of the world.
And the only thing doing worse than Brand Russia is Brand Putin. Worldwide, just 24 percent trust the Kremlin leader. In Europe, just 15 percent do.
On the latest Power Vertical Podcast we examine whether Vladimir Putin's vaunted information war is actually an abject failure. Joining me are Leonid Bershidsky, a political columnist for Bloomberg View, and Michael Weiss, a senior editor at The Daily Beast and the co-author of a widely circulated report on Russia's information policy.
Enjoy...
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Podcast: Hearts, Minds, And Confusion
Listen to or download the podcast above or subscribe to The Power Vertical Podcast on iTunes.