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The 450 Canadian troops stationed in Latvia face little danger from actual Russian military forces, which remain for now safely ensconced on the other side of the border.

But they have been the target of repeated information-warfare salvos in the five months since they arrived in the tiny Baltic country, as fake news designed to discredit NATO forces is routinely disseminated online, say Latvian and Canadian officials.

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The disinformation ranges from stories about Canadians being accommodated in luxury apartments at local taxpayers’ expense, to images that purport to show them littering indiscriminately or fixated on buying beer, Latvia’s defence minister told the National Post this week.

And the campaign began with stories suggesting Russell Williams, the former air force colonel and convicted serial killer, still commanded Canada’s biggest air base.

In response, close to a dozen Canadian soldiers in Latvia have been tasked to keep tabs on the propaganda disseminated against them, a Canadian Forces spokesman said.