Russian disinformation and network systems have penetrated social media in the Philippines, a creeping phenomenon that started after the Russian and Philippine leaders forged closer ties in 2017 on issues related to national security and information management, according to an investigation by Rappler.com  in the Philippines and Coda Story in Moscow. 

The links between the Kremlin’s disinformation ecosystem and the Philippines start at the St Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency (IRA), a state-sponsored troll farm, and unwind through a group of social media and news outlets managed by supporters of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

One of the most vivid examples of the cross-pollination of disinformation was the sudden and increased appearance early last year of a little-known global affairs expert on Philippine news sites that Rappler.com has linked to supporters of the Philippine president. Up until that point, the expert, a man named Adam Garrie, had a niche following as a frequent commentator on RT, the Russian state-sponsored broadcaster and several other Kremlin-linked media sites, but he had no known background in Filipino or Asian affairs.

Garrie’s unusual footprint on the Philippine media scene offers a strange and cautionary tale on how swiftly and stealthily Russia’s state-backed disinformation tactics can expand to unlikely places.