Experts claim that Russian bots are targeting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as part of Putin’s efforts to sow discord in the United Kingdom.
The debate comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for “standing by Ukraine’s brave citizens at this critical time.”
“Olena and I are grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge that at this crucial time, when Ukraine is courageously opposing Russia’s invasion, they stand by our country and support our brave citizens. Good will triumph,” said the Zelensky while also speaking on behalf of his wife.
“This was something extraordinary,” Richard Eden, The Daily Mail’s Diary Editor, said of the gesture. “Here we have President [Volodymyr] Zelensky fighting for survival, his life is under threat, and he was able to send a message to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, thanking them for their support for the people of Ukraine.”
“He then begins to be abused by some of Harry and Meghan’s more outspoken social media followers, who ask him, ‘Why haven’t you thanked them?'”
During their acceptance speech at the NAACP Awards, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle also mentioned the war-torn region.
Harry said: “Before I begin, we would like to acknowledge the people of Ukraine who urgently need our support as a global community.
“I think it’s safe to say I come from a very different background to my incredible wife, yet our lives were brought together for a reason.
“We share a commitment to a life of service, a responsibility to confront injustice and a belief that the most overlooked are often the most important to listen to.”
Dr. Tessa Dunlop, an author and historian on Mr. Eden’s panel, believes these accounts appear to divide the UK into two groups.
Dr. Dunlop went on to say that these accounts were created by Russian bots in order to smear the Sussexes’ reputation.
“We have to wonder to what extent those trolls and naysayers are actually bots – controlled, incidentally, possibly by Russia,” she said.
