While Ukrainian fighters report significant victories on the front line every day, the battle is also taking place beyond the country's borders – and the Baltic states are involved in a digital fight for the truth. Since the beginning of the war, experts have documented an increase in the number of fake news stories in the region's media and have explained the arguments being used to 'cover up' Russia's war effort.
The pro-European societies of the Baltic states have long been one of the primary targets of Kremlin propaganda.
The goal of Russian information operations has been to undermine the region's public trust in state institutions and NATO, to stoke ethnic and social tension, and, since the war in Ukraine began, to gain support from foreign citizens.
A study of Russian-language news portals in the Baltic states, conducted by the expert group Civic Resilience Initiative (CRI), has revealed the narratives Russians are using to justify the use of brutal military force in Ukraine and to gain 'international approval' for it. Russian propaganda
'Simultaneously with the war in Ukraine, agents of the Kremlin regime in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania launched an active information campaign, attempting to win over the Russian-speaking residents of these countries to the aggressor's side. At least seven different narratives are being used to create an image of Russia as a just and benevolent country,' says Lukas Andriukaitis, a disinformation expert and co-founder of the organization that conducted the study.
For example, Ukrainians are accused of being like Nazis and having committed terrible war crimes. In contrast, NATO and Western countries are accused of stoking the war, engaging in Russophobia, and suffering from societal immorality by providing support in the form of weapons 'with which innocent Russians are being killed'.
Furthermore, an attempt is being made to strengthen the Kremlin's position by inducing fear among Russian-speaking readers regarding the spread of the war in Europe, the potential prioritisation of war refugees over citizens of host countries, and the inactivity of regional authorities due to sanctions imposed on Russia, among other things.
About the study:
The study 'Baltic Media Monitoring: Anti-Ukrainian War Propaganda in the Baltics' was conducted by the Civic Resilience Initiative's expert team from 13 June to 28 August 2022. During this period, researchers used NewsWhip to analyse information published in 17 Russian-language news portals in the Baltic states and identified 520 articles containing propaganda messages that were most frequently shared by users. Furthermore, the study revealed the intense penetration of the propaganda media outlet 'RuBaltic' into the Baltic states' information space.
Experts identified seven frequently recurring narrative groups: (1) events in the Russia-Ukraine war, (2) refugees, (3) the consequences of economic sanctions, (4) the situation of Russians and Russian-speaking minorities, (5) military threats to the Eastern European region or the risk of the war spreading outside of Ukraine, (6) military aid to Ukraine, and (7) miscellaneous. The narratives in each group are divided into smaller subgroups.
A more detailed description of the study can be found here:
https://lithuaniatribune.com/whats-happening-on-the-digital-front-in-ukraines-war-with-russia-russian-speaking-balts-joining-the-fight/