Russia's Propaganda War
Topics differ, but many articles, online comments and websites have several things in common. While Western countries are suffering here from political and moral decline, Russia is portrayed as a force for moral good and traditional values. In many cases, founders of platforms are unknown, hard to track, or provide insufficient information about their origin. In a like manner, authors of many articles and comments are unknown or publish under various pseudonyms.
“Americans wanted too much from Syria, Russia’s demands were more reasonable” is a vague description of a stalemate in Syria that was written on one such server. In many instances, articles capitalize on current problems that European countries are experiencing, such as the EU’s economic crisis. The author of an article on another pro-Russian server compared the ECB’s quantitative easing to “the slaughtering of printed money.”
In addition to contemporary issues, they tout fabricated claims from history, which they present as new sensational discoveries. One post twisted the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights and denied the Soviet Secret Police’s responsibility for the 1940 Katyn massacre of Polish officers.
Internet trolls glut online discussions
Simultaneously, Internet trolls on traditional and social media have been glutting online discussions in increasing frequency. Czech-speaking contributors often talk about alternatives to “mainstream opinion that are forced upon citizens by state propaganda.” Another commentator compared state propaganda to methods used by fascists and bolsheviks, a narrative frequently used against the government in Kiev. While depicting traditional media as unreliable and manipulated by the West, they call for the nation to wake up, open its eyes and finally find the real truth.
In addition, these online activities are backed-up by pseudo-NGOs that the Kremlin has long been using as instruments in foreign policy. British Chatham House estimated that the pro-Russian NGO sector alone is worth $100 million a year. In November 2013, a new Czech think tank, the Institute of Slavic Strategic Studies (ISSS), was established in Prague. One of its founders, Radka Zemanova-Kopecka, is among the most active Czech journalists whose articles often appear on the pro-Russian websites mentioned earlier and is a frequent contributor to many online discussions.
Susceptibility to Russia’s propaganda is especially topical in former Communist bloc states
ISSS’s goal, as stated on the website available in both Russian and Czech, is to strengthen Slavic integration (most Slavic countries are former Communist bloc countries). According to ISSS, this historic alliance provides an alternative to today’s “feuding world.” In February 2014, ISSS organized a seminar in the Czech parliament entitled “Myths about Russia.” As the name indicates, its objective was to demystify Russia and provide the public, as well as Czech politicians, with facts. Speakers included Oskar Krejci, a former secret agent of the StB (the secret police force used by communists as an instrument of oppression) and an advisor to the last Communist Prime Minister Ladislav Adamec, and Alexandr Klein, the Deputy Director General of the Russian government-owned ITAR-TASS news agency (transformed into TASS news agency last September).
Susceptibility to the Russia’s propaganda is especially topical in former Communist bloc states with strong business and historic ties with its former occupier. According to a 2014 opinion poll, the post-Communist developments since1989 have not met the expectations of 54% of Czechs and 70% of Slovaks, and such propaganda is drawing on this sentiment. On the other hand, the new upswing in pro-Russian propaganda activities is increasingly being discussed in the region. In the last few weeks, a number of articles in leading Czech and Slovak media have been written on the topic while local activists and “anti-propaganda” groups on social media are gaining more and more followers. But is this enough to counter a well-organized, billion-dollar propaganda push from Moscow?
Ivana Smolenova