AUGUST 18, 2025 — A summit in Alaska last Friday, between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, had unleashed a torrent of propaganda and disinformation both online and in Russian state media.
As historic as the setting may be – the former Russian imperial outpost sold to the U.S. in 1867 – Moscow’s propagandists had flooded social channels with territorial fantasies, claiming Alaska still rightfully belongs to Russia.
A centrepiece of this latest disinformation drive is the viral image of a fake “People’s Republic of Alaska” flag, widely circulated by the Kremlin-linked network Tsargrad TV, says the New York Times.
According to Ukrainian network United24, the mock flag shared on pro-Kremlin Telegram channels was a pastiche inspired by the separatist banners of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine. It appeared on August 12 with the caption: “How do you like the new flag of Alaska?”
The post quickly gained more than 80,000 views.
This fabricated flag, according to researchers who track Russian propaganda, is functioning as a potent symbol in Moscow’s information war.
Analysts warn that while such tactics have little basis in international law or geopolitical reality, they remain effective for stoking nationalist pride, sewing confusion abroad, and keeping the narrative of a resurgent Russia alive at home.
