Russia's information campaign was more successful at agitating the West than at delivering tangible results in Ukraine. Studies using survey **data** and technical analysis of the penetration of Russian broadcasting signals found that the impact of the campaign was grossly overestimated. The message proved polarizing rather than mobilizing, even where Russian television signals had the most coverage and viewership. While the campaign increased hostility toward and distrust of the Ukrainian national government, it did little to mobilize public support of separatism. 52 Ultimately, Ukraine banned Russian broadcasts to the extent it could in the rest of the country, while national viewership of Russian news and other media drastically declined. 53 In the Donbas, support for the national government and the separatist cause was equally tepid. Russian-backed separatists had to resort to force because the information campaign failed to rally an indigenous uprising that could sweep Eastern Ukraine. 54 Far from being an integral element, the information campaign remained a sideshow throughout the conflict. In characterizing the importance of the information campaign, it is often assumed that activity translated into achievement and because Russia invested in the effort, it must have had an impact. 