Latin America: Russia’s Queen in the Global Psychological Chess Game
- Samantha Hicks
- May 13
- 12 min read
How Russia Manages to Sneak into the Media:
Since Putin obtained presidential power in Russia in 2000, his regime has focused on spreading disinformation; however, in 2014, just before its invasion of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, Russia began major PSYOPS in South America and the Caribbean, using fútball to reach its Hispanic audience (Global Influence Ops, 2022). Then, in 2022, when Putin decided to once again invade Ukraine, Russia reinforced these Psychological Operations with a renewed focus on these regions (CSIS, n.d.).
These operations are carried out through workshops set up for Russia Today, an international news outlet funded and controlled by the Kremlin. These workshops have trained over 1,000 journalists and have been established in at least eight different Latin American countries including Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, and Cuba. The Kremlin also promotes exchange programs, offering what looks like a good opportunity for travel and education, but is, in reality, a training hub for spreading disinformation and obscuring the full truth in the media, teaching exchange students that any pro-Ukrainian narratives are propaganda (CSIS, n.d.). Along with these operations, Russia also pays social media influencers to promote pro-Putin and anti-Ukraine stories and opinions on their platforms, sneaking in the Kremlin's messaging into public discourse (The Record, n.d.).
During this time, in 2022, Russia also launched Operation Doppelgänger, in which the Russian state-funded IT firms, Social Design Agency and Structura National Technology, impersonated the most relied upon and trusted news sources, such as The Washington Post and Fox News, in order to control the flow of information into society, particularly in Europe and Latin America, specifically to control the public opinion on Ukraine (EDMO, 2025).
Russia Today airs in Spanish in eighteen different Latin American countries (Global Influence Ops, 2022) and in doing so, the Kremlin outperforms the United States three-to-one in terms of information influence (Shynkarenko, 2024). Russia’s dominance in this field makes it easier for Latin American citizens to find Russian propaganda about Ukraine, rather than independent news. Russia Today ranks second amongst Spanish language news channels on YouTube and also places second and ninth on X in Colombia and Chile, while U.S. outlets have managed to stay below the top 100 (Shynkarenko, 2024). Through the two main media outlets in the region: Russia Today in Spanish and Españoland Sputnik Mundo, Russia overtly reaches an audience of about thirty-two million viewers (Shynkarenko, 2024). These numbers do not include the people reached through its covert operations.
Russia’s Methods of Influence in LAC and the Main Narratives of Propaganda:
Russia is thorough in choosing topics that resonate with their Caribbean and South American audiences in order to support their economy and open more Russo-LAC trade, thereby mitigating the effect of the sanctions that the U.S. placed on Russia (CSIS, n.d.). These topics include portraying Western and U.S. economic influence as U.S. imperialism or neo-colonialism, framing U.S. sanctions on Russia as an illegal act of hybrid warfare (CSIS, n.d.), (ignoring the fact that they themselves have broken international humanitarian law consistently since 2022), promoting the rise of a multipolar world and defeating U.S. hegemony, and manipulating economic narratives (CSIS, n.d.). In Brazil, however, the war in Ukraine was the dominant topic (Atlantic Council, 2024). Russia also weaponizes history to back up false narratives that do not align with the truth today, specifically referencing World War II (Atlantic Council, 2024). It highlights instances where certain Ukrainian groups fought alongside Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union, while omitting the Soviet repression of several social groups, including Ukrainians (Atlantic Council, 2024). In Brazil, Russia has painted the country as a Nazi state and refers to the Russian invasion as the “denazification of Ukraine” (Atlantic Council, 2024).
While Russia shouts to Latin America that U.S. sanctions violate international law and are tools of economic warfare, it itself has used economic coercion to obtain its goals (CSIS, n.d.). Ecuador, who had been actively supporting Ukraine and sending them weaponry, was forced to halt its support in order to save its economy in the face of Russian coercion. When Russia announced that, if Ecuador did not comply, it would ban Ecuadorian imports of bananas and flowers — an action that would have cost the South American country 800 million dollars — Ecuador was effectively trapped and had no other choice (CSIS, n.d.).
In the image above, the numbers in parentheses are the documented number of times Russian ambassadors have openly supported such narratives from the time of analysis, which is from January to October, 2023. State media and other information channels have produced and published hundreds of articles based on the words of Russian ambassadors, bolstering more disinformation into society (Atlantic Council, 2024).
Russia’s propaganda strategies are basic psychological manipulation. It gets countries to oblige to its desires by manipulating them into feeling indebted to it, by making them feel less alone through being relatable, and by projecting; blaming the victim for their own pain (CSIS, n.d.; Global Influence Ops, 2022).
For example, the Kremlin ensures that Argentina remembers that Russia was the first to provide a COVID vaccination to them, specifically before the U.S. did.Through carefully placed and timed messages, Russia depicts itself as a savior and healer, and not as the predatory belligerent that it is (Atlantic Council, 2024).
In Argentina, Russia refers to its imperialistic actions as a noble fight against the “Nazi Ukraine." In order to make the South American country resonate with them, Russia taps into Argentina’s own history by acknowledging their struggle over colonialism, and draws a false correlation by roleplaying as a victim of “Ukrainian aggression,” claiming that Ukraine’s defensive fight and its possession of a military are proof that the smaller state has neo-imperialistic intentions (Atlantic Council, 2024; CSIS, n.d.).
In Chile, Russia also focuses on projecting its own inhuman actions onto Ukraine, claiming that Ukraine commits war crimes, while in reality Russia aims its drones at innocent civilians. However, by playing the victim card, Russia fills the media with ideas that Ukraine started and/or deserved the war (Shynkarenko, 2024; The Record, n.d.).
The massive recruitment and training network that Russia controls has maintained permanent offices in Venezuela, Argentina, and Cuba, where it connects with local governments and news channels to train them in methods of controlling the media and news so that the propaganda feels more authentic to citizens (Global Influence Ops, 2022; CSIS, n.d.). Russia’s goal is not to have all of Latin America on its side, but to ensure that these states are at least neutral and do not actively support Ukraine (CSIS, n.d.).
How the Communist Party of Cuba Silences Protests:
According to Freedom House, Cuba scores a 1/40 in political rights, a 11/60 in civil liberties, a 21/100 in internet freedom, a 9/100 in global freedom, and is widely considered “not free.” The Cuban authoritarian government has no separation of powers and strictly manages access to social media networks, intentionally silencing dissent (Human Rights Foundation, 2020). While Cuban citizens live in poverty with no way out, the Cuban government continues to portray a picture of peace and calm in the media, neglecting the needs of its citizens. For every one message sent by a citizen on X in protest, there were forty-one generated by the regime in support of it, stifling the voices of its people. In 2023, 11 million recorded messages on X came from the regime and only 94 thousand from the people; this is not even 1% of the messages from the regime (ProBox Venezuela, 2025), and does not include the activity on other social media platforms.
Cuba’s Weaponization of History:
Similarly to Russia, Cuba also uses history to shape public opinion. Historical narratives become a helm in Cuba’s disinformation apparatus, steering public opinion towards a desired path. It specifically revisits the Cuban Revolution during the Cold War (ProBox Venezuela, 2025), and with this, the regime can foster national pride in the hearts and minds of the Cuban people. By repeatedly bringing light onto the fall of the U.S. supported Batista dictatorship, and focusing on the Soviet-backed victory of Fidel Castro, the Cuban authoritarian regime showcases itself and Russia as defenders of social justice and sovereignty, all while Russia continues its aggression towards the independent state of Ukraine.
Holidays and anniversaries have become a time for the regime to reinforce a past that justifies any actions it takes today that may have otherwise been deemed oppressive or authoritarian (ProBox Venezuela, 2024). By drawing a correlation between the past's revolutionary, one-party, authoritarian government and the present regime, anyone who criticizes the government is considered a traitor to the whole nation's independence, and through flooding the internet with stories of Cuban triumphs and successes, it slowly pushes people into compliance or passiveness regarding the problems of the present regime. Lighting a passion for past historical accomplishments removes the focus from current governmental failures. Complaints are more difficult to hear through a song of celebration.
Beyond silencing cries for help, the Cuban regime, which itself is a mastermind of propaganda, has handed over its international media and news apparatus to Russia. Such media include: Prensa Latina, Cubavisión Internacional, and Telesur (Victims of Communism Foundation, n.d.; The Moscow Times, 2026). This means that the Cuban citizens’ main form of global news is reported through the eyes of Russia, allowing the Kremlin to portray events however it chooses and have it feel authentic to the people of Cuba.
Venezuelan, Russian, and Cuban Partnership in Controlling Information in Latin America:
Latin American authoritarian regimes are being trained by Russia, Iran, and China in a much larger global disinformation scheme (CSIS, n.d.; Global Influence Ops, 2022). The Maduro regime specifically had an agency that dealt with promoting propaganda in smaller South American countries, particularly in Cuba (ProBox Venezuela, 2025). On top of this, Cuba has placed all of its international news channels under Russian control, meaning that Cuban citizens only see global updates through Russia's eyes (Victims of Communism Foundation, n.d.; The Moscow Times, 2026).
Díaz-Canel of Cuba and Maduro’s regime have worked together to show support for their dictatorships on social media and through news outlets in an attempt to control public opinion regarding the atrocities and violations of human rights committed by the regimes. In Cuba these include a rising number of femicides and road violence, the collapse of the education system, and the shortage of cash during a domestic economic crisis and continuing inflation— preventing citizens from withdrawing their salaries— which, in short, is an attempt to further control the people (ProBox Venezuela, 2025). On top of this, the Cuban regime has also created new migration and citizenship laws, announcing that anyone who disagrees with the state or is deemed a threat to the country will have their legal identity and right to travel revoked (Havana Times, 2024).
“We have documented the coordination between the communication strategies of the regimes of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua with specific patterns such as censorship in traditional and web media, persecution of journalists, activists and civil society, creation of legal frameworks to regulate the internet and manipulation of the conversation in social networks,” said Marín, founder of ProBox.
Cuba and Maduro’s government were closely partnered together to manipulate the socio-political media, with Venezuela’s agency accounting for almost 70% of Cuba's socio-political messages on X. The main topics consisted of advocating for the Nicolás Maduro dictatorship, and the rejection of economic sanctions, which are very similar narratives promoted by the Díaz-Canel regime (ProBox Venezuela, 2025).
Russia's and Cuba’s Sanction Evasion:
Just after Putin came to power he decided that re-establishing the old Soviet-Cuban relations was a must for the Kremlin. Putin laid out plans for a partnership in all aspects with Fidel Castro during a visit to the island in December 2000 (The Moscow Times, 2026), only nine years after the Soviet Union collapsed and U.S.-Russian relations had seemed to be taking a calmer route. These partnered areas included economic cooperation.
Since the war in Ukraine, Díaz-Canel has openly condemned the sanctions imposed by Europe and the United States on Russia (BBC News, 2024; Tass, 2025). Cuba then cooperated with Russia to implement the Russian MIR payment system to directly make transactions and avoid reliance on the international reserve currency, the USD, which in turn had aided the cash shortage, bringing further economic hardship for the Cuban people. In exchange for Cuba speaking out against the sanctions, Putin has promised investments and military cooperation (The Moscow Times, 2026).
The European Parliament has recognized Russia as a terrorist state and removed Russia from the human rights body (European Parliament, 2022). Other analyses have recognized Cuba as an ally of Russian aggression (Victims of Communism Foundation, n.d.), as they have supported the Kremlin through bypassing sanctions, permitting Russia exclusive access to investment in otherwise closed cobalt and nickel reserves, allowing the Kremlin to access, control, and manipulate its media, and even physically aiding in the fight against Ukraine.
Russia's Military Traffic Ring in Cuba:
Díaz-Canel himself, on multiple occasions, has justified Moscow’s invasion as a “special operation,” which denies the truth of the matter; a war started by Russian hostility and antagonism.
As of 2025, an estimated 5000 to 20,000 Cubans had been recruited into the Russian military (Defence24, n.d.; Leuropeista, n.d.). The majority of these Cubans are knowingly signing up to fight for the expansionist country against Ukraine, and some are actually previous military personnel or militarily trained.
A combination of external economic pressure and internal authoritarian politics leaves Cubans in extreme poverty, with many young men looking for opportunities to escape or to make money for their families. In a few cases Moscow has taken advantage of Cubans’ vulnerability and lured men into its neo-imperialistic fight. The Kremlin often entices men with a fake job, offering a monthly salary of 2000 dollars — a significant amount compared to Cuban salaries — and passports for their families (Defence24, n.d.). Instead, however, Russia proceeds to send these young men to the “meat grinder,” as a few soldiers called it, where these young men usually die within 150 days of signing (Victims of Communism Foundation n.d.).
Nonetheless, Díaz-Canel, president and head of the Communist party of Cuba, denies this and claims to know nothing of the matter.
Russia’s Propaganda Ring Regarding Ukraine's Human Treatment:
There are many tales that Russia promotes, hoping to scare Latin Americans away from supporting the Eastern European country that they have been unable to defeat. This propaganda includes stories of Ukrainian abuse against foreign soldiers, Ukrainians forcing South Americans to fight, Ukrainians forcing the homeless to fight on the front, and the mistreatment of dead bodies (The Record, n.d.; EDMO, 2025).
Once again, Russia performs propaganda through the art of projection — Russia itself returns Ukrainian bodies in pieces in bags or burns bodies to cover up their atrocities and, in occupied regions, uses rape as a form of torture on innocent civilians, forcing family members to listen from nearby rooms(UN News, 2023). Oftentimes Russia refuses to accept the bodies of their own dead, leaving families at home in a state of uncertainty or denial. Putin's team has also created propaganda that the Ukrainian government forces children to fight, when in reality it is Russia itself who abducts children and orphans, placing them into indoctrination camps where they are prepared to fight against their own country (Georgetown University, n.d.).
Fake photos, videos, TikToks, and articles are among Russia's favorite tools of propaganda (EDMO, 2025; The Record, n.d.). Russia has even created high-tech AI images of soldiers belonging to NATO fighting for Ukraine, captured by the Russians, in order to support their narrative of being the victim and shifting the blame onto NATO. The state has also AI-fabricated images and videos of Ukrainians cowering in fear of Russia in an effort to depict Ukrainians as weak and inferior to Russian soldiers, seeping this idea into the minds of Latin Americans. Moscow has also used pictures from past wars, of neither Russian nor Ukrainian deaths, out of context, claiming that they are brutal deaths caused by Ukrainians (EDMO, 2025).
Conclusion:
Through an in-depth study of Russian PSYOPS it is clear to see the Kremlin's tactics; the DARVO method: deny, attack, and reverse victim and offender. The narcissistic state refuses accountability by blaming major geopolitical issues on others, by playing the victim, by projecting whatever atrocities they commit onto their opponent, by circulating lies, by tapping into what resonates with each country, making themselves seem relatable, by using diplomatic blackmail, by portraying their aggressive actions as helpful, painting an image of themselves as a savior, and by ensuring they are needed and/or relied upon. Ultimately, Russia entrenches influence by trapping the world in a web of lies.
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