The Trojan Strategy: Uncovering Covert Russian Propaganda on Telegram in the Russo-Ukrainian War

Recent propaganda research has primarily centered on the "Firehose of Falsehood" model, extensively employed by the Russian state. This paper analyzes Telegram channels during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, revealing a new covert technique we term the Trojan Strategy. Using network cluster analysis and computational narrative signifier analysis, we demonstrate how Russia amplifies its dissemination capabilities and discreetly infiltrates Ukraine’s media space. Our findings show that this Trojan Strategy enables Russian Telegram channels to reach audiences typically beyond their influence, such as Ukrainians. We further explain how Telegram’s policies and existing political communication practices in Ukraine and Russia facilitate the effectiveness of this strategy, ultimately expanding the known repertoire of Russian propaganda methods.