Russia known for harmful influences and 'poisoning' ideas – U.S. politician

Nebraska State Senator Tom Brewer, a retired U.S. Army Colonel with extensive combat experience, said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

"Of course, they're doing everything possible to derail support for Ukraine, but also to plant the seeds into the future so that others will see the world the same as they do," Brewer said, commenting on the hoax claim that the U.S. is allegedly in secret talks with some of Ukraine's political figures behind Volodymyr Zelensky's back.

Such campaigns carry a threat, Brewer said, because "that crazy piece on each end, the far right and the far left, are easily influenced and sometimes they don't think – they just respond."

"They'll see things on Facebook and they'll take that as the truth. Absolute truth. And sometimes, when I confront him, I say: 'Show me the proof. How is this true? What you're telling me?' And they say: 'This is what I read on Facebook.' So you want to slap them and say, listen, at some point, you must engage your brain. You can't just read what's on Facebook and have that become the gospel – because it's not. It's Russian propaganda. It's well orchestrated," the senator said.

He admitted that Russia has "the ability to lie and to influence people to believe their lies."

This, in turn, is "an effective way of doing things when it comes to poisoning ideas and support," Brewer said. "So that's something we have to watch out for," he concluded.