Russian propaganda targeting Spanish-language users proliferates on social media

Russia and its allies have been using their media platforms to target Spanish speakers with propaganda that is inaccurate or an incomplete picture of the invasion of Ukraine, worrying some about the impact it can have on U.S. Latinos and across Latin America.

While the outlets broadcast in Latin America, their reach on social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube is more extensive.

Actualidad RT and Sputnik both have Spanish-language websites. One of the top stories Wednesday on the Russia-owned broadcast channel Actualidad RT was a conspiracy theory that Russia has floated about the U.S.’s funding a biological weapons laboratory in Ukraine. Actualidad RT reported that China asked the U.S. to reveal details of the laboratory. The U.S. has said the allegations are false. Similar conspiracy theories about secret laboratories have also spread in some far-right circles.

Actualidad RT, as well as Sputnik Mundo, have led in the avalanche of social media posts about the situation regarding people or places in Russia and Ukraine.