The recent spate of conspiracy theories is another example of how Russia has made political manipulation of internet media part of its standard operational art. In this case, it is being deployed to prepare the victim-blaming narrative should Assad’s forces unleash chemical weapons on his citizens yet another time.

Sébastien Roblin holds a master’s degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing, and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring.

Image: A 3D-printed Twitter logo displayed in front of Russian flag is seen in this illustration picture, October 27, 2017. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration