Russian Disinformation Campaign Aims to Undermine Confidence in Pfizer, Other Covid-19 Vaccines, U.S. Officials Say – The Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTONRussian intelligence agencies have mounted a campaign to undermine confidence in Pfizer Inc.s and other Western vaccines, using online publications that in recent months have questioned the vaccines development and safety, U.S. officials said.

An official with the State Departments Global Engagement Center, which monitors foreign disinformation efforts, identified four publications that he said have served as fronts for Russian intelligence.

The websites played up the vaccines risk of side effects, questioned their efficacy, and said the U.S. had rushed the Pfizer vaccine through the approval process, among other false or misleading claims.

Though the outlets readership is small, U.S. officials say they inject false narratives that can be amplified by other Russian and international media.

We can say these outlets are directly linked to Russian intelligence services, the Global Engagement Center official said of the sites behind the disinformation campaign. Theyre all foreign-owned, based outside of the United States. They vary a lot in their reach, their tone, their audience, but theyre all part of the Russian propaganda and disinformation ecosystem.

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Russian Disinformation Campaign Aims to Undermine Confidence in Pfizer, Other Covid-19 Vaccines, U.S. Officials Say - The Wall Street Journal