Russia enlisting Arab media outlets in its propaganda efforts, expert says
He made the remarks during the roundtable discussion Ukraine–Middle East: A New Architecture of Partnership, held to mark the launch of Ukrinform’s Arabic-language website.
According to Bohomolov, Russia’s first tactic is cultivating friendly journalistic networks across the Arab world. He noted that some 12,000 participants worldwide, including bloggers and students, have completed training programs under the SputnikPRO initiative.
The second method, he said, involves expanding cooperation between Russian news agencies and universities or other educational institutions. Among Arab countries, Libya has been particularly active in this regard, Bohomolov noted.
The third tactic is the signing of cooperation agreements between Russian media organizations and foreign outlets. These partnerships extend beyond major news agencies to include associations and organizations such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
“This effectively connects them to the pipeline of Russian information spam. They receive a stream of regional news from Russia, and we know what kind of content is generated there,” Bohomolov said.
According to him, such agreements have been signed by national news agencies in Bahrain, Lebanon, and Libya, as well as by an international news agency in Iraq.
As a fourth method, the analyst highlighted Russia’s development of its own media infrastructure, including a full Arabic-language service and division of TV BRICS.
The fifth tactic involves financing social media activity, bloggers, and bot networks.
“In 2025, the well-known Telegram figure Rybar visited Iraq and met with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. This raises questions about information diplomacy and foreign policy engagement,” Bohomolov warned.
The researcher noted that Russian propaganda efforts have intensified in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war and were more active during 2023–2025 than in the early stages of the full-scale invasion.
As previously reported by Ukrinform, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that one of Russia’s key political objectives is to limit Ukraine’s security, economic, and other strategic ties with Moldova, the countries of the South Caucasus, the Middle East, and the Gulf region.
