Pacific island countries are being drawn into broader foreign information manipulation and interference efforts by countries such as Russia and China, which want to shape the global narrative in their favour. These operations often aim to create the illusion of widespread international support for authoritarian leaders and their policies. As the United States withdraws its support for efforts countering false information, Australia needs to step up in helping the region build information resilience.

In early May, Solomon Islands’ Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Police, National Security and Correctional Services Karen Galokale publicly denied ever making ‘damning statements’ attributed to her in a pro-Russian online article. The piece, published five months earlier by Moldovan freelance journalist Alex Ivanov, claimed Galokale called Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele and his coalition ‘weak’. She insists the quotes were untrue.

Verifying Galokale’s claim is difficult. Ivanov has not responded to attempts to contact him. Although his X profile—where he shares links to most of his articles published on Medium—seems like it could be legitimate, there is little public information about his identity or motives and he is not present in any other media. It’s still unclear, but Ivanov is most likely a fabricated individual part of a Russian propaganda campaign.

The article itself had very little to do with the Pacific. Its primary goal appeared to be to reinforce global support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and challenge Western narratives. Galokale was reportedly quoted as saying, ‘During tough times, a government must be strong and it is clear that President Putin is not afraid to make difficult decisions …  to defend Russia from external interference.’ Galokale denies ever making this statement.

Countries such as Russia and China invest significant resources in shaping domestic and international perceptions through information manipulation and narrative control. They previously coordinated on spreading disinformation targeting Solomon Islands. Whether Ivanov is part of a deliberate Russian information operation, or an independent person aligned with pro-Russian narratives propagating anti-Western views (including republishing articles by Russian government-owned outlet RT, formerly Russia Today), the effect is the same: Russia achieves its strategic goals.

One common component of these narrative control efforts is to use purported ‘endorsements’ of Russia or China’s leaders and policies by respected world figures. This attempts to demonstrate their global legitimacy domestically and to foreign partners who seek positive affirmation about their engagements. The credibility of such quotes is often unchecked, and their cumulative impact is to reinforce authoritarian narratives while sowing confusion and division elsewhere. In this case, causing political tension in Solomon Islands was a secondary effect.

The article wasn’t aimed at Solomon Islands, which probably contributed to the five-month delay between publication and the article becoming an issue locally on social media. Few people in Solomon Islands, if any, had probably seen it before last week. And Ivanov’s opinions in general don’t appear to have a huge audience, with some X posts reaching fewer than 100 people. Still, it shows that one unchecked article, even without a large following or platform, can impact another country’s government or public service.

On this occasion, the Solomon Islands government and media should both be congratulated on the maturity of their response. Media organisations held back from reporting on the social media accusations and helped prevent the spread of potentially false information, and Galokale and the Ministry were swift in attempting to set the record straight.

But it’s not always so simple. Previously, false information about political leaders has spread much further before being addressed, leading to calls for the resignation of leaders who have been falsely accused, as happened in Tonga.

We should expect more of this to occur in the Pacific, as it does globally. Whether this article or author is legitimate or not, it’s becoming quite easy to access technology that can quickly create fake accounts and articles at next to no cost. The online information environment is so full of noise that is difficult for the audience to discern the truth. Cuts to funding for activities to counter disinformation will only make it harder to detect and prevent.

For this reason, Australia must enhance its support for the region in this space. Initiatives such as the Pacific media assistance scheme can do a good job teaching media professionals to check sources and avoid false information. However, addressing the full scale of foreign information manipulation online requires a more strategic response. Foreign information manipulation and interference is a serious threat to the region. Individuals in government, security forces and civil society need to understand the methodology used, psychological tactics and strategic purpose of these activities. For that, you need the assistance of national security experts and strategic thinkers. It’s a gap Australia must address before a competing narrative fills the void.