The Polish Institute of International Relations (PISM) under the government of the republic proposed intensifying the fight against “Russian misinformation” in the European Union. In particular, analysts call for the opening of the national units of the Operational Working Group on Strategic Communications (StratCom) in EU member states. Now such structures are in the foreign ministries of several countries, however, according to Polish experts, these measures are not enough.

“The option used, which mainly relies on the existing similar units at the foreign ministries of some countries, seems insufficient, since in most cases the unit’s activities are limited by foreign policy tasks and do not require coordination with other ministries,” the report of the Polish Institute says, with the text which got acquainted with RT.

Since 2015, the East StratCom Task operational group has been operating at the EU level, the task of which is to identify and combat misinformation in the EU and Eastern Partnership countries. As Andrus Ansip (former Estonian Prime Minister), who served as deputy head of the European Commission, said in December 2018, the group has already “uncovered” more than 4.5 thousand cases of false messages. According to the politician, their main source is allegedly Russia.

Meanwhile, Polish researchers are convinced that the efforts made in the European Union are disproportionate to “Russian activity”. In addition, the example of Moscow allegedly encourages other "undemocratic" states to also apply similar practices.

“The actions of the EU and its member states are still incomparable with the capabilities and resources of Russia, especially since the effectiveness of Russian disinformation prompts other non-democratic states (Iran, North Korea and China) to use similar methods,” the article says.

Analysts also advise the EU to reconsider the capabilities of its institutions in the fight against disinformation, noting that Poland could take such an initiative. In addition, they urge Brussels to provide financial support to non-governmental organizations and to work with the NATO Strategic Communications Center.

According to political analyst Alexander Asafov, Poland supports the American political vector with its actions. Thus, offering to intensify the fight against “Russian misinformation” and open StratCom national units, Polish analysts point out that Brussels’s policy does not match the goals and objectives of the United States, the expert is sure.

“Poland is a conductor of American will on the European continent. They stated the need to open such structures in order to show that the EU is not coping with the important mission of confronting Russia. However, the Russian Federation is only a pretext for an ideological and political attack on the EU as a whole, ”Asafov told RT.

In turn, his colleague, political scientist Yevgeny Minchenko, noted that promoting the topic of “Russian misinformation” also benefits Warsaw in the context of current EU policies. At the same time, the conclusions of Polish researchers about “Russian misinformation”, as he said, are, as usual, unfounded.

“As a rule, such reports are unproven. But the fight against the “Russian threat” is a classic of the Poles. This allows them to remain beneficiaries of the European Union, ”he added.

"Demonization" of Russia in the eyes of Europeans

The Polish Institute of International Relations believes that Russia is in a state of information war with Western countries. With the help of "misinformation", according to experts, Moscow is trying to divide European society, indirectly influencing internal processes in the EU.

“The purpose of these efforts is to ensure that ideas that are in the interests of Russia, such as the lifting of economic sanctions imposed after the annexation of Crimea, aggression against Ukraine and the inclusion of Russia in European security negotiations, become the subject of public discussion,” analysts write.

The report mentions that Russia allegedly strengthens its “disinformation campaigns” during elections, referenda (including Brexit), as well as in periods of increased internal tension, such as protests in Catalonia and yellow vests in France.

Russian officials have repeatedly denied such allegations. It is emphasized separately that despite an active information campaign no evidence of Moscow’s “interference” in the political processes of other countries was provided. As Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera in early July, the goal of the anti-Russian campaign in Europe is to demonize the Russian Federation in the eyes of Europeans.

“I want to state very clearly: we have not intervened and are not going to interfere in the internal affairs of either the EU countries or other states of the world,” the president said.

In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed the view that all Western hysteria regarding "Russian intervention" is aimed at shifting the blame for others on their own problems and miscalculations, which led to a systemic crisis.

  • Vladimir Putin
  • RIA News
  • © Alexey Druzhinin

Kremlin Tools

This is not the first time Polish experts have called RT and Sputnik “pro-government media” as well as the Internet Research Agency, called the “troll factory”, as tools for “Russian misinformation”. According to the report, these “trolls” allegedly conduct discussions on social networks, touching on sensitive topics such as “migration, sovereignty and values”.

“For the dissemination of misinformation, Russia uses not only traditional, but also online media, in particular social networks. Russian pro-government media, such as RT and Sputnik, operate in 100 countries and broadcast in 30 languages, ”the authors added.

Criticism of the work of RT and Sputnik periodically comes from different EU countries. For example, in July, German intelligence agencies released a report stating that these media allegedly disseminate "Russian propaganda and misinformation."

However, RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, in an interview with the American NBC television channel, noted that in the West the Russian media are unfairly accused of sharing their country's position with others.

“We never hid that we are a Russian television channel. Just like CNN is American. And if you look at the BBC, you will notice that the Air Force represents the British vision of the world. Why, then, is it considered fair that any Western country can convey its views to the world, but Russia can not? Why so? ”She said.

It is worth adding that the Euro-Atlantic community is not limited to official media in discussions about “Russian influence”. So, in 2017, the Center for Strategic Communications of NATO called the Kremlin’s humorous transmission of KVN a political instrument of the Kremlin. And even in the cartoon "Masha and the Bear," Western experts saw an instrument of "soft propaganda" aimed at children.

  • Frame from the cartoon "Masha and the Bear"
  • © Animation Studio "Animaccord"

As noted by an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies, Vladimir Bruter, Western countries use double standards with regard to the mass media and freedom of speech.

“Everything that does not suit the EU is declared propaganda. They have their own opaque criteria, invented specifically for the "unfriendly" media. However, if they want access to information to be free there, then it must be mutually free, ”the source said.