Work

Propaganda as infrastructure: reconceptualizing information operations through the Pravda network

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This paper reconceptualizes digital propaganda as infrastructure through a large-scale study of the Pravda network, a constellation of around 150 Kremlin-aligned websites reconfiguring content from Telegram and other sources. Using metadata analysis, network mapping, and distant reading on more than five million articles (2023–2025), we show how the network functions as an always-on infrastructure aligned toward platform integration, and templated content reconfiguration and circulation. We argue that this infrastructural propaganda challenges message- and narrative-centric misinformation models and discuss how it complicates current regulatory responses for platform governance and disinformation mitigation.

Source: Journal of Information Technology & Politics

DOI: 10.1080/19331681.2026.2747171

Authors: Tom Willaert, Serge Poliakoff, Lera Malchenko, Stanislas Yahi

Institution: Royal Military Academy

Language: English

Topic: Misinformation and Its Impacts

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: Universiteit van Amsterdam, Försvarsmakten