Foreign malign influence during 2022's aragalaya in Sri Lanka

A tweet by the BBC Verify's inimitable Shayan Sardarizadeh reminded me of a Twitter account that came into being in Sri Lanka at the height of the 'aragalaya' - the country's unprecedented moment, and movement that led to the ouster of the then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Noting "Astonishing tweet, even more astonishing replies.", Sardarizadeh included a screenshot of a tweet published by an account called 'BattlementLK'. This account was created in April 2022, and is coincidentally one I've studied closely.

Soon after creation, the account's profile, as well as banner image (taken from the web) symbolically referenced the ideology of Aleksandr Dugin, associated with fascism.

Themes, and issues of the tweets

The account was prolific over 2022, focussing mostly on Sri Lanka's aragalaya. In a study I did in December 2022 of around 1,000 tweets, going back just a month (an indication of how active this account was at the time), the key themes, and issues included,

• Criticism of Western liberal ideology and values: Western liberal ideals, particularly those associated with the United States, were frequently, and vehemently critiqued. The tweets often mock or disparage liberal concepts like gender identity, LGBTQ+ rights, and progressive social movements. A strong, clear anti-Western sentiment defined most of the tweets. In fact, the account's pinned tweet is from 5 December 2022, noting "President Putin has signed a bill prohibiting movies, advertisements, publications and sale of material that promote LGBTQ ideology".
• Support for authoritarian regimes and anti-Western countries: The tweets expressed support for regimes in China, Russia, and Iran, often praising their policies or defending their actions. There's a clear preference for authoritarian governance models over Western-style democracy.
• Scepticism towards climate change and environmental movements: Several tweets dismiss climate change concerns and mock environmental activists, portraying them as out of touch with economic realities.
• Criticism of Sri Lankan protest movements: The tweets were highly critical of the aragalaya protests. They portrayed the aragalaya as Western-backed or influenced, and suggested it was part of a "colour revolution" strategy.
• Anti-NGO sentiment: There was strong criticism of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), particularly those projected as receiving Western funding. The tweets suggested these organisations were tools for Western influence in Sri Lanka.
• Economic nationalism: The tweets advocated for Sri Lanka to align more closely with countries like China and Russia, rather than Western nations or institutions like the IMF. There was a strong emphasis on national sovereignty in economic matters.
• Criticism of local Sri Lankan politicians and activists: Tweets mocked and criticised Sri Lankan political figures, particularly those seen as liberal or Western-leaning. There's also strident criticism of local activists and journalists - especially those who were associated with the aragalaya.
• Conspiracy theories: The tweets often promoted or alluded to various conspiracy theories, particularly regarding Western influence in global affairs and domestic Sri Lankan politics.
• Anti-feminist and traditional gender role views: A number of tweets expressed opposition to feminist ideas and supported traditional gender roles. This folded into the anti-GLBTIQA+ narratives as noted earlier.
• Mockery of social justice movements: The tweets frequently mocked social justice concepts and movements, often using sarcasm and ridicule.

These 1,000 tweets were retweeted 1,232 times, liked just over 5,000 times, and generated just over 900 replies - meaning that the account had traction at the time, with output resulting in considerable engagement.

Parenthetically, this account was the first I studied in Sri Lanka (though I do not know location of where it is operated from) to feature generative AI imagery, when it was an embryonic, and emergent trend globally.

Depictions of Russia, and China

The tweets generally depicted Russia in a positive light, portraying it as a strong, sovereign nation standing up to Western imperialism and hegemony. Russia was framed as a necessary, vital counterbalance to US influence, with its actions in Ukraine and other geopolitical moves framed as justified responses to Western aggression or interference. The tweets supported Russia's stance on various international issues, such as its vote against "glorification of Nazism" at the UN. There was also admiration expressed for Russian domestic policies, particularly those perceived as conservative, such as legislation against LGBTQ+ "propaganda" (like the pinned tweet) - which folded into a narrative presentation of Russia as a great defender of traditional values and a key player in the push towards a multipolar world order.

On the other hand, China was consistently depicted as a benevolent and powerful ally for developing nations like Sri Lanka. The tweets praised China's economic achievements, particularly its success in lifting people out of poverty, and contrast this with perceived Western failures. China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)and infrastructure projects in the country were framed positively, with claims that closer ties with China would benefit Sri Lanka more than alignment with Western powers. The tweets also defend edChina against accusations of debt-trap diplomacy and other criticisms from the West. China's governance model was often implicitly or explicitly endorsed, with its ability to implement policies quickly and effectively contrasted with the perceived inefficiencies of Western-style democracy. The tweets also supported China's positions on issues like Taiwan and its approach to handling protests and dissent.

Individuals, institutions, and sentiments around them

Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy were often mocked or portrayed as incompetent or corrupt. Sri Lankan politicians, especially those perceived as liberal or Western-leaning, are also criticised. Ranil Wickremesinghe and members of the JVP (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna) party were frequently mentioned negatively. Conversely, there was positive sentiment in the framing of Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.

International organisations and NGOs were portrayed very negatively. The IMF, World Bank, and United Nations are depicted as tools of Western imperialism. There's particular hostility towards USAID and other US-affiliated organisations, which are accused of interfering in Sri Lankan affairs. Local NGOs with foreign funding was also criticised, with organisations like PAFFREL (People's Action for Free and Fair Elections) specifically mentioned. Earlier in 2022, I (separately) studied tweet threads attacking fact-checkers, and civic media platforms. See report linked below for more details on this score.

There was criticism of Buddhist monks involved in political activism, but also a defence of Buddhism against perceived Western influence. Other religions, particularly Islam, were sometimes mentioned in the context of criticising liberal multiculturalism.

Corporations, especially tech companies like Google, Meta, and Twitter (recalling that this was just after it was bought by Musk), were often portrayed negatively, accused of promoting liberal ideology and censoring conservative views.

Russian disinformation pathologies

I revisited the 1,044 tweets I had collected late-2022 to study them against what has since been published around Russian disinformation narrative templates, tactics, and techniques including,

1. Key Narratives in Pro-Kremlin Disinformation: ‘The Hahaganda’, https://www.cde.ual.es/en/key-narratives-in-pro-kremlin-disinformation-the-hahaganda/
2. Mapping Russian Disinformation Narratives And Their Influence Across Europe In The Face Of The 2024 European Parliament Election, https://natoassociation.ca/mapping-russian-disinformation-narratives-and-their-impact-across-europe-in-the-face-of-the-2024-european-parliament-election/
3. RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION NARRATIVES, THEMES, AND TECHNIQUES, https://www.aalep.eu/russian-disinformation-narratives-themes-and-techniques
4. Russia’s Top Five Persistent Disinformation Narratives, https://www.state.gov/russias-top-five-persistent-disinformation-narratives/

The around 1,000 tweets of BattlementLK studied closely aligned with many of the narrative templates, and themes identified in Russian disinformation strategies, suggesting a strong influence of these narratives on the discourse presented in the tweets. In other words, at the height of Sri Lanka's aragalaya, this account was actively promoting Russian disinformation narratives seeking to undermine individuals, networks, collectives, groups, and institutions involved in it.

• The "Saviour of Europe" narrative is evident in tweets that portray Russia as a defender against Western imperialism and a counterbalance to US influence. There are frequent references to Russia standing up to Western aggression and protecting traditional values, echoing the idea of Russia as Europe's historical saviour.
• The "Fortress Russia" narrative is reflected in tweets that depict Russia as being under constant threat from the West, particularly from the US and NATO. These tweets often portray Western actions as attempts to weaken or encircle Russia, mirroring the template's assertion that imperial powers are constantly trying to attack Russia.
• The "Good Tsar" narrative is apparent in tweets that praise Vladimir Putin's leadership and portray him as a strong leader bringing stability to Russia.
• The theme of Western entities being Russophobic is frequently present in the tweets, with many accusing Western media and governments of anti-Russian bias or deliberate disinformation campaigns against Russia.
• The narrative of Russia as innocent, and a victim of the West is prevalent, with many tweets suggesting that Western actions force Russia to respond defensively.
• Historical revisionism, another key theme in the research on Russian disinformation narratives, is evident in BattlementLK tweets that reinterpret historical events to cast Russia in a more favourable light or to justify contemporary actions (which at the time were around Ukraine).
• The template's "Reality is Whatever the Kremlin Wants It to Be" theme is reflected in tweets that present multiple, often contradictory narratives about events, particularly regarding conflicts involving Russia and also extending to the framing, and presentation of Sri Lanka's aragalaya.
• The use of humour and ridicule to discredit leaders and institutions, described in the template as "hahaganda", is evident in many tweets mocking both Western and Sri Lankan politicians, and their respective policies.

Connections with Brian Berletic

The reason I studied BattlementLK in the first instance, around August 2022, was because of a viral video at the time posted to YouTube by an individual called Brian Berletic (aka Tony Cartalucci).

The relatively sudden, and significant focus on Sri Lanka by individuals, and accounts narratively linked to (obsequious promotion of) Russia, and China, and with clear FMIO signatures was something I studied in conjunction with what domestic actors seeded, and spread to undermine the aragalaya.

At the time, I privately circulated a detailed report of t/his content, and started by noting,

The producer is a well-known super-spreader of disinformation, and related conspiratorialism. Since February, the individual promotes pro-Kremlin, pro-Putin disinformation on Ukraine. The individual’s output, over many years, shows a clear bias against the United States of America, and conversely, a narrative frame partial to, or on occasion, explicitly virtue-signaling the CCP in China. After the invasion of Ukraine, where Russian and Chinese propaganda around the war is a distinction without much of a difference, the producer’s YouTube channel has consistently produced, and promoted, anti-Ukraine, anti-NATO, anti-American propaganda. The interest in Sri Lanka is new, and after 9 July. The central trope – that the protest and resulting unrest, as well as violence, was fomented by the US, and funded by the National Endowment for Democracy – isn’t new to the producer. It is a leitmotif that extends as a critique used to target individuals and institutions in Myanmar, Thailand (where the individual seems to be based) and beyond. The YouTube channel features a cornucopia of conspiratorialism, aimed at newsmakers, policymakers, governments, contexts and other issues, where critique is always through a lens that promotes Russia, Putin, the CCP, and suggests, for example, India is engaged in a proxy war on behalf of the US , how an American journalist who was incarcerated in Myanmar was an American agent , how the Milk Tea Alliance is American funded , how a focus on Uyghurs is US-funded theatre , and so on. Recent videos on the YouTube channel are essentially Russian disinformation and propaganda.... The account’s content, commentary, propagation, and engagement network signature(s) prima facie suggests the high likelihood of state-backed disinformation campaigns which seek to amplify information disorders in the country, and corrupt the narrative frames reporting on Sri Lanka’s socio-political, and economic developments, evolving at pace and in unprecedented ways.

I had entirely forgotten about this report till I read Sardarizadeh's tweet. Uploaded it to Microsoft OneDrive as a PDF so that it can go to a broader audience, now that the security, and safety considerations during the aragalaya are no longer valid even though, as the BattlementLK Twitter account activity attests to, active FMI is still taking place on Twitter/X alone.

Ended the report by noting the following, which still holds true,

As we know, Russian disinformation works in tandem with CCP’s disinformation, and has amplified the Kremlin’s propaganda. As the US State Department noted in May 2022, "Government officials and state and party media from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) routinely amplify Kremlin propaganda, conspiracy theories, and disinformation. This amplification rationalizes President Putin’s unjustified and unprovoked war against Ukraine while undermining trust in the United States and other countries, democratic institutions, and independent media. Using social media platforms banned within the PRC, PRC and CCP media and PRC “wolf warrior” diplomats convey biased Kremlin talking points to audiences in multiple languages and regions across the world. Meanwhile, within the PRC, CCP and state-backed entities censor credible reporting on Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine while blaming NATO and the United States for Putin’s brutal war of choice. The “pro-Russia neutrality” of PRC officials avoids explicit public endorsement or condemnation of Russia’s invasion of and conduct in Ukraine, and continues to insist Beijing is a neutral stakeholder that respects the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.” However, PRC and CCP media and officials’ further uncritical amplification of Moscow’s messaging demonstrates Beijing’s support for Russia."

Banner image courtesy Countering Russian hybrid interference with EU sanctions.