"An information confrontation [between Russia and the United States] is currently in place," Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of Information and Press Maria Zakharova told RIA Novosti, adding that the Ministry has no plans to create an "information army" to counter foreign propaganda.
"We definitely will not have an 'information army' like the one that was created in Ukraine. Regarding the strengthening or reinforcement of our information policy – I believe we have every reason to do so. And this is being done," Zakharova said.
She added that the Russian Foreign Ministry will not use forbidden methods in information warfare the way the United States does.
"The Russian Foreign Ministry focuses on the use of trustworthy sources, evidence-based data, providing examples from history or quoting international documents," Zakharova said.
According to Zakharova, the information confrontation between Russia and the United States began long before the current Ukrainian crisis.
"It is enough to recall the Sochi Olympics and its inadequate – to say the least — coverage by Western media. Or the coverage of Russia's position on the Syrian problem," Zakharova said.
The so-called Ukraine Information Army created by the country's Ministry of Information Policy on February 19, aims to mobilize users of social networks "to provide reliable information" and fight "Russian propaganda."
