Anti-Vax/QAnon Groups Spread Kremlin Propaganda

Politico Europe reports:

Before Russia invaded Ukraine, Booba — one of France’s most popular rap artists, with an online audience of millions — spread wild claims about COVID-19. But since late February, the French musician has shifted gears to another global crisis: the war in Ukraine. And in post after post, Booba [photo], who canceled a sponsorship deal with Puma after the German company pulled out of Russia, has shared content with his 5.6 million Twitter followers aligned with pro-Kremlin talking points.

The rapper, whose real name is Élie Yaffa, is just a high-profile example of how Western anti-vaccine groups and conspiracy theorists have shifted quickly from parroting falsehoods about the global pandemic to peddling misinformation about the war, often from Moscow’s viewpoint. QAnon-affiliated websites suggest Russia invaded its Western neighbor to weed out child sexual abusers — a central mantra of that conspiracy theory framework.

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