Are Russia’s disinformation warriors weaker than you think?

The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Podmasters

News, Society & Culture, Politics, Government

4.6 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 2 October 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the 2010s Putin’s Russia was quick to realise the potential of disinformation to undermine its enemies in the West. A complex ecosystem including now-banned propaganda TV station RT and troll factories like the Internet Research Agency used social media to sow distrust, spread fake news, distort elections and encourage a cynical culture of politicised snark. But according to Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody, co-author of Russia, Disinformation and the Liberal Order: RT as Populist Pariah, Russia’s information polluters aren’t as effective as we might think. “The broader problem is the sickness of our media environment,” she tells Alex von Tunzelmann – and the remedy is in our own hands. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • Head to nakedwines.co.uk/thebunker to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Produced by Liam Tait. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Art by Jim Parrett. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This edition of The Bunker is sponsored by Naked Wines. I'm Seth Tevall.
0:04.8	And I'm Zoe Grunewold.
0:06.4	And here at the bunker, we don't believe in guesswork. We go to the experts for the best insights into news and politics. And why should wine be any different?
0:15.1	That's why we're pleased to recommend Naked Wines. I enjoy their Bariccas Gallaudoro Reserva from Portugal. Well, I'm trying their small and
0:23.9	small Savignon Blanc from New Zealand. Seth, tell me, what's your wine knowledge like? Very specialised,
0:30.6	so pretty good on things Portuguese, but non-existent on those other things. How about you, Zay?
0:35.5	I drink most anything, but I have to say I'm really enjoying the savenient blanc. It's citrusy, it's got notes of gooseberry. I could just drink the whole bottle. What makes naked wines so convenient is that they deliver top quality wines right to your jaw from world-class winemakers from across the globe, whether it's a French rosé, a New Zealand reisling, or even the Lebanese
0:54.8	syria, naked can help you find your next bottle to fall in love with.
0:59.0	And this premium doesn't have to come at a punishing price. By working directly with the
1:04.0	winemakers, they can pass on the benefit and offer bottles up to 33% less than typical retail
1:09.7	prices. Head to Nakedwines.co.com.uk forward slash the bunker to get six top-rated wines for
1:16.7	just £39.99. That's £6.67 a bottle. I repeat, that's six bottles of wine for just £39.99,
1:26.0	with delivery included. That's naked wines.com.uk,
1:30.5	forward slash the bunker to grab six bottles for just 3999. Click the link in the description.
1:37.3	Sharing intimate photos of her without her consent. Unwanted touching. Unwanted comments. Unwanted nudes.
1:43.5	Controlling what she can and can't wear. Controlling who she can and can't see. Threatening her. Enough. This is abuse. If you think it's wrong, act on it. Call it out, show support, report it. There are many ways you can safely tackle violence against women and girls. Find out how at gov.uk slash
2:02.9	enough. If someone is in danger, call 999.
2:11.2	Welcome back to The Bunker, News Without the Nonsense, five days a week. I'm Alex von Tunselman.
2:21.4	Now, I'm not really in this business to heap praise on Vladimir Putin's regime in Russia.
2:27.3	It's famously bad at things like human rights and not starting wars. But let's be honest,
2:33.6	it is notably high achieving in the field of
2:36.6	disinformation. Putin himself, of course, rose up the ranks as a KGB agent in the Cold War.
	...

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