InfoRos

InfoRos (Russian: Инфорос) is a Russian news agency and online media network that has been described by Western governments and independent researchers as part of a pro-Kremlin disinformation ecosystem. Investigations and sanctions actions have linked InfoRos to Russian military intelligence influence operations and the use of proxy websites to disseminate propaganda and misleading narratives.[1][2]

InfoRos
Type of site
News agency
Online media network
Available inRussian, English, French
OwnerDenis Tyurin (sanctioned)[3]
URLinforos.org
CommercialNo
RegistrationNone
Launched2003
Current statusActive

Background

During the Cold War era Soviet Union was known to deploy disinformation as a form of active measures. These methods relied on not shaping the information space but polluting it with falsehoods to the point that truth becomes relative and usable to media in adversary nations.[4]

After the fall of the Soviet Union, and then especially after the 2008 invasion of Georgia dominance of the information space became military doctrine for the Russian Federation.[5]

History

InfoRos was founded in 2003 and registered in Moscow as a news agency[6] and incorporated in 2004.[7] The first domains The first domains registered to speak of Russians in Ukraine were registered in the summer of 2008.The website promoted trips to russia and decried the Orange Revolution, Stepan Bandera, and attacked the Orthodox Church in Ukraine because of calls for autonomy from the Moscow Patriarchate.[8] InfoRps was connected by researchers to GRU’s military unit 54777.[9]

In 2010 InfoRos added a third cluster of websites to promote Ukrainian neutrality.[10]. InfoRos also promoted events with the Russian Diaspora Institute.[11] After the 2014 Maidan Protests that lead to the Revolution of Dignity InfoRos added another cluster of websites to discredit the Maidan protesters.[12]

COVID-19 disinformation

During the COVID-19 pandemic, InfoRos was reported to have participated in campaigns spreading misleading narratives about the virus and public health responses. U.S. officials and researchers identified InfoRos sites as part of a Russian effort to distribute pandemic-related disinformation internationally.[13][14]

U.S. intelligence assessments connected InfoRos-linked outlets to efforts that sought to amplify narratives undermining trust in Western governments and public health institutions during the pandemic.[15] During May and July of 2020 InfoRos published over 150 websites with misleading pandemic information.[16]

Sanctions

In 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned InfoRos in connection with foreign influence operations. Treasury stated that InfoRos was involved in Russian government-directed disinformation efforts aboutCOVID-19 and U.S. elections.[17]

The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program later offered a reward for information on InfoRos, describing it as part of GRU-directed influence operations.[18]

See also

  • Official website
  • "InfoRos Profile". Rewards for Justice.

References

  1. ^ "InfoRos". Rewards for Justice. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  2. ^ "List of political disinformation website campaigns in Russia". Wikipedia. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  3. ^ "InfoRos". Rewards for Justice. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  4. ^ Brimley, Shawn (2014-10-15). "Offset Strategies & Warfighting Regimes". War on the Rocks. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  5. ^ Paul, Christopher; Matthews, Miriam (11 July 2016). "The Russian "Firehose of Falsehood" Propaganda Model". Perspective. RAND Corporation.
  6. ^ The GRU’s galaxy of Russian-speaking websites (PDF) (Report). DCiber. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  7. ^ "Ia Inforos OOO (Moscow) Company Profile". EMIS. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  8. ^ Douek, Hadrien (16 January 2023). InfoRos: Historical networks of influence. OpenFacto (Report). OpenFacto. p. 11. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  9. ^ Information Environment 2021: Propaganda, Disinformation and Psychological Operations in the Context of Hybrid Threats (PDF) (Report). Estonian Internal Security Service. 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  10. ^ Douek, Hadrien (16 January 2023). InfoRos: Historical networks of influence. OpenFacto (Report). OpenFacto. p. 11. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Украина нейтральная". neutral-ua.org. Archived from the original on 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  12. ^ How two information portals hide their ties to the Russian Press Agency InfoRos (PDF) (Report). EU DisinfoLab. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  13. ^ "AP Report: Russia spreading virus disinformation, officials say". PBS NewsHour. PBS. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  14. ^ "AP FACT CHECK: Russia pushing COVID-19 disinformation online". Associated Press. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  15. ^ "Russia Targets Election, and Virus, With Disinformation". The New York Times. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2026. {{cite web}}: Check |archive-url= value (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "US Officials: Russia Behind Spread of Virus Disinformation". Voice of America. 2020-07-29. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  17. ^ "Treasury Sanctions Russian Intelligence Officers and Entities for Interference in U.S. Elections". U.S. Department of the Treasury. 15 April 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  18. ^ "InfoRos". Rewards for Justice. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
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