PSA Texas 🤠 You have a Russian governmental audience 🫠

Russia may be staging American social media for some pro-secessionist Texan content. Do we have the ball?

Executive Summary: This post warns that Russian government entities may be using American social media to spread pro-secessionist, anti-Texas, and pro-civil war content tied to the Texas border crisis and immigration issues. The propaganda aims to destabilize the United States by exploiting genuine fears and frustrations. Russian politicians and media are amplifying this narrative, with discussions and documentaries suggesting Texas might secede, despite the impracticality of such an event. While many Russians mock the situation with humorous content, the article emphasizes the need to recognize and counter foreign propaganda. I suggest using AI and human analysts to detect and mitigate disinformation, protecting American free speech and unity.

Public Service Announcement

Texas has a Russian governmental audience. Russia may be staging American social media for some pro-secessionist Texan content. If you are wondering what the Texas border crisis has to do with the Russian Federation, well, you have come to the right place. It is likely you will see a deluge of English language content on social media that is pro-secession, anti-Texas, and pro-civil war. The content will be tied to the border crisis and immigration issues. The content will represent distinctly two opposing sides.

Keep in mind, the odds are a foreign agency or foreign government generated this genre of content. All with the sole purpose to destabilize the United States by amplifying the crisis to play off of people's genuine fears and frustrations.

Russian politician Sergey Mironov posted on X that he will offer any assistance that Texas may require in its bid for freedom and succession from the United States. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev asserted that the United States is destined for civil war. Mr. Medvedev's evidence is the border crisis in Texas and mention of secessionist amendments from Texas to the U.S. federal government.

The Russian media are running with this narrative. IZ and HTV created info documentaries about the entire situation on the border. Russia24 has active and lively debates on Russian television about whether Texas will secede from the Union. The panelists, to include an American Michael Bohm, debate the merits of how Texas could secede from the Union. Questioning whether the United States is falling into a civil war. Nevertheless, the Russian panelists seem to brush aside Mr. Bohm's explanation that all is not what it appears when it comes to Texas' practicality of succession.

The irony does not go unrecognized by Russian people. The commenting are mostly streams of funny memes and giffs poking at the seriousness of secession. Russians are offering to adopt Texas, create a federated state of Texas in Russia, Free Texas and Walker Texas Ranger memes. Occasionally, someone will chime in to remind their compatriots of the exaggerated threat.

The Russian government does not miss a beat when it comes to leveraging a crisis. The next time pro-secession, pro-civil war, hate for Texas and anti-Texan content comes across your feed, it may very well be propaganda designed for you by a foreign entity. It is only effective when two opposing extremes become agitated.

Let’s be real. A small group of Texans are pro-secession. The last time I saw a succession petition for a referendum was outside a high school for state elections circa early-2010s. Keep in mind, in the state of Texas, it is legal to sign succession petitions to place the question with the yes/no/I don’t care bubble on the ballot for a qualifying statewide vote. Will pro-succession votes ever go so far as Austin being placed in the awkward position to make a ruling? When pigs fly. How can pigs grow wings? Well, fiction authors give pigs wings.

We cannot prevent propaganda. There is hope. AI-enabled machine learning and language modeling can be trained to detect nuanced foreign propaganda and disinformation. By distinguishing foreign propaganda from user-generated content, it is possible to maintain vigilance of American free speech. This requires human analysts.

It may be a slow-burn strategy literally to divide America over time. Instead of waiting for the inevitable, perhaps we can get in gear. The quicker we can jump the narrative, the more effectively the counter to its momentum. Hopefully, we can cut the erosion before it has time to destroy the Great State of Texas.

Forewarned is forearmed, my friends.

~E

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