By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2024-05-03

Russia is using misleading propaganda about the events in the Red Sea to destabilize the Middle East and harm international navigation in the strategic waterway, say analysts.

Russia has been waging a disinformation campaign about the Red Sea claiming that potential exists for a "naval confrontation between Russia and NATO," in addition to its propaganda campaigns in the Middle East that promote the Houthis and use bot-like behavior on social media.

The Red Sea propaganda campaign, waged by some social media users, cites a supposedly looming Russia-NATO clash in the region. The United States and the United Kingdom are major members of the Western alliance.

On March 28, verified X user Alex_Oloyede2, who posts pro-Kremlin disinformation regularly, posted a photo of warships with the caption:

"BREAKING: Possible Sea Confrontation between Russia and NATO

The Russian Pacific fleet has entered the Red Sea, making its way to the coasts of Yemen where multiple American and British ships carry out strikes against the Houthis."

Stirring up chaos

Such disinformation only harms security and commerce while strengthening the hand of rogue states.

"Russia's promotion of the possibility of Russian military confrontations with NATO naval vessels is not in the interests of Red Sea stability," Yemeni Deputy Minister of Justice Faisal al-Majeedi told Al-Fassel.

That Russian behavior "harms international navigation and the stability of the Middle East, and it benefits Iran, which takes advantage of all militarization of the Red Sea," he added.

The Kremlin proved its support of the Houthis by hosting a Houthi delegation in Moscow in January, said al-Majeedi.

Russian propaganda about confrontations in the Red Sea "fosters chaos," he said.

"At the same time, Russia separately conducted military maneuvers with Eritrea and other naval drills with its Chinese and Iranian counterparts in the Gulf of Oman," he added.

Russia exploits Houthis in Bab al-Mandeb

"Russia finds the Houthis a strategic [asset] due to their presence in Bab al-Mandeb," said Maged al-Madhaji, director of the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies.

The strait separates Yemen and Djibouti, and Asia from Africa, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

Russian support for the Houthis is not overt but rather covert, al-Madhaji said, noting that the Kremlin supports the Houthis with weapons to elevate the cost of the confrontation in Bab al-Mandeb.

Meanwhile, it takes advantage of its long-time presence and influence in the Middle East to spread disinformation using various channels, including well-established, state-backed media outlets, such as RT and Sputnik, according to Elene Janadze, a nonresident scholar at the Middle East Institute.

Russian embassies in the Middle East are also actively engaged in spreading falsehoods and disinformation, Janadze said on April 29.