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Updated on July 10, 5:41 AM
The #walkaway movement, a campaign highlighting alleged discord among the left, got a boost this week from accounts linked to Russian influence operations. The first use of the #walkaway hashtag from accounts monitored on Hamilton 68 was noted in early June (a few weeks after the grassroots campaign began), but engagement remained relatively low throughout the month. Activity spiked on July 2, when Hamilton 68 noted 73 unique tweets using #walkaway, and roughly another 50 using related campaign hashtags (e.g. #walkawaymovement). The late engagement suggests Kremlin-oriented accounts are trailers rather than leaders of the campaign, but the high-level of current engagement indicates an effort to astroturf support for the movement and hijack the narrative. This includes several monitored accounts that have changed their handles to include the hashtag, or that have shared their own supposed walkaway moments. The campaign also received a direct boost from Russian propaganda outlets RT and Sputnik, both of which ran stories on the movement.
