Only the people doing it know the goal. I can speculate of course. It could just be standard 'fog of war' type stuff, or related to softening US public support

Only the people doing it know the goal. I can speculate of course. It could just be standard 'fog of war' type stuff, or related to softening US public support for interventions against Russian actions in places like Ukraine. It could also have really specific goals you'd never guess without insider knowledge. I completely agree about there being more than one actor here. I just suspect Russia has a non-trivial role in the phenomenon I mention in my OP. The bottom line is that today's Internet is loaded with bullshit and propaganda and as time goes on seems to become less and less trustworthy as a source of information. That's a big problem.