On the Internet, the pro-Ukraine partisans of NAFO, the dog-headed meme brigade

The battle began on June 19 on Twitter. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), tries to justify his country’s position on the invasion of Ukraine: “Unprovoked? The bombing of civilians in Donbas by the Ukrainian army started in 2014.” Internet user named ” Ukraine memes for NATO teenagers (Ukrainian memes for NATO teenagers), translates the official’s opinion as follows: “All Ukrainian civilians should be bombed because Ukraine was fighting an internal war and civilians were bombed. » The diplomat answers: “You uttered this nonsense, not me. » The network is abducted, confident of receiving an ambassador there.

“Ukraine Memes for NATO Teens” is the first boy [que l’on peut traduire par « gars » en français] to be noticed. After that exchange, several hundred people would join him and, like him, display profile photos of Shiba dogs dressed as soldiers or CIA agents. A gathering sign referring to Doge, a well-known meme in digital cultures. Thus was born the NAFO, or OFAN in French, organization boys North Atlantic. “We are a group of people brought together by a simple idea” As one of the oldest members sums up, “ Dill is chamomile “, for whom Ukraine’s help is obvious:

“You’d have to be inhuman not to feel alarmed. I’m doing what any reasonable person would do. Our goal is to raise money. I’m a cog in a bigger machine. »

manual methods

On June 20, Mikhail Ulyanov tried to catch up and explained on Twitter, about this “adversary” having “misinterpreted his words”:

“They’re bringing this proposal back to me anyway. Look at the comments. Most of them are obviously bots, but some are human. How to distinguish them? »

Contrary to the claim of the diplomat, the approach seems artificial, to say the least: most of them boys Get their Shiba custom theme by graphic designers for a few tens of dollars after posting in favor of Ukraine. If some end up on servers Dissent or private groups on Twitter, there is no real overall coordination and no direct connection to official communication bodies.

“It is difficult for states to use the methods of action used by groups such as NAFO, According to a former employee of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, who specializes in influence operations, especially online. Administrations have schedules, procedures, safety rules, legal frameworks to follow… NAFOs don’t have all that and can take full advantage of the network effect. »

Ukrainians (…) officially welcome the efforts of the “brothers”.

Among the active accounts – from small foot soldiers who participate in all digital raids to more influential ones whose tweets can generate several thousand interactions – we see many North Americans and Eastern Europeans. Many of these Net trolls remain tight-lipped about the professions and backgrounds behind their avatars. In France, this phenomenon remains quite It is not clear. On the other hand, the Ukrainians, who have mobilized humor and numerical codes since the beginning of the war, very officially welcome Georgia’s efforts. boys. On September 4, Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov posted on his Twitter A photo of him in a NAFO shirt, after thanks “All the people behind the Shiba Inu cartoon”. On August 28, the Ministry did the same:

“We usually thank our international partners for their security assistance. But today we want to salute a unique entity, NAFO, for its fierce fight against trolls and Kremlin propaganda. »

Dear #friends, I am changing my profile picture but I am not changing my loyalty. Thank you for inviting me to NAFO! Our joint… https://t.co/villZxbDPX

— oleksiireznikov (@oleksii reznikov)

These successes contradict the interviewed former employee of the Ministry of Armed Forces the world :

“I consider it remarkable that this tactic is used in the context of confrontation between states, with a high degree of internationalization. These troll clashes are not new. At one point there was already talk of a Baltic “elves” versus Russian trolls, without mentioning the various troll farms, real or supposed, of several countries. But with NAFOs, it’s almost a phenomenon of international network brigades that has emerged. »

Package risks

purpose boys Since the end of June, their visibility and enthusiasm around NAFO has been increasing as a way to raise money for Ukraine. Their best visuals can now be found on T-shirts, mugs and stickers sold by the Saint Javelin site, the namesake of a meme that dates back to the start of the conflict, depicting Orthodox saints armed with rocket launchers. Edited by Christian Boris, a former Canadian journalist living in Ukraine Reimagined in digital communication and entrepreneurship, the online store for manufactured products will enable fundraising of more than a million dollars for non-governmental organizations. Several NAFO pillars also facilitate donations to the Georgian Legion, an international volunteer unit fighting on the side of Ukraine.

The frightened face of a Russian soldier injured in battle, screaming in pain (…), becomes a meme.

The strength of such a movement is also its weakness. In the absence of rules, authority or codes of conduct, no one can say what the boundaries are boys. For example, in early September, the terrified face of a wounded Russian soldier screaming in pain in a video, where several of his comrades are seen seriously injured, became a meme that amused the public. The boys Divided between those who see it as a means of terrorizing the invaders and those who wonder about possible ethical limits.

This is the dilemma of this type of online mobilization. Total decentralization makes it possible to multiply the workforce. But it shows excesses. A few years ago, French activists Narwhal’s coat of arms, who used comparable methods to combat jihadist propaganda on social media, preferred to work in a small committee to avoid political appropriation or ideological deviations such as racism. Charlie, one of the historical members of this movement, observes the limits of NAFO’s approach: “The concept is quite positive. But, as always, when this type of movement takes off and begins to gain recognition, it attracts a second wave, much more serious, which is difficult to frame. The slippage of some, in ultrabinary mode, deters those who might have been tempted to move. »