LAST WEEK RECAP

TOPICS OF THIS WEEK

Germany is the main target of Russian disinformation in the EU, according to EU vs Disinfo.

EU to impose additional sanctions on Russia in line with the new Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.

Russian election interference in 2020 confirmed in the National Intelligence Council's report.

The Kremlin accuses the West of information aggression.

Good Old Soviet Joke

Question to Radio Armenia: Is it possible to build Communism in a random capitalist country like, say, the Netherlands? 

Answer: Of course, it’s possible! But what have the Netherlands ever done to you?

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter!

Policy & Research News

EU watchdog reports that Germany is the main target of Russian disinformation in the bloc

The European Union’s ‘EU vs Disinfo’ project, an initiative of the European External Action Service’s (EEAS) East StratCom Task Force, reported last week that Germany appears to be the main target of Russian disinformation efforts in the EU. The article, part of the project’s regular analysis of Kremlin disinformation efforts and narratives, notes that since 2015 the team have logged over 700 cases of disinformation targeted at Germany – more than twice those aimed at the next biggest target, France.

The report notes two major narratives in the latest anti-German disinformation campaign. The first one spins the renewal of EU sanctions related to the Ukraine crisis as Germany simply using its Presidency of the Council of the EU to implement a "containment" of Russia. The use of this narrative tends to ignore the hostile actions taken by Russia in order to paint sanctions as the irrational manifestation of ‘russophobia’.

Secondly, since the start of the new year, Russian media has exploited the case of three minors being taken into the custody of Berlin social authorities over alleged threats to their welfare. The story was exaggerated by Russian media and portrayed as an oppression of Russian-Germans in a manner reminiscent of the ‘Lisa Case’ in 2016.

In sum, the EU vs Disinfo report denounces the Kremlin’s ‘doublespeak’ as exploitative – expressing readiness for dialogue while continuing to engage in hostile acts of disinformation.

EU to impose additional sanctions on Russia in line with new Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime

The EU is preparing to impose additional sanctions on Russia in the coming weeks. The EU’s Political and Security Committee reached a provisional agreement to sanction human rights abuses in Russia, China, and four other countries on March 11. According to reports, the measures will enforce visa-bans and asset-freezes on eleven officials and four entities – the Russian targets are expected to be linked to Russian human rights abuses in Chechnya. The sanctioned parties will only be named if sanctions are formally approved at a meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council on March 22, at which UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet is also expected to attend.

The initiative for sanctions supposedly comes from major EU member states, including Germany and France, and apart from initial Hungarian scepticism, the proposal was received without notable contention among member states. EU representatives have declined to confirm or comment on pending sanctions. However, one spokesperson remarked that previous EU sanctions over the imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, on March 2, “were the first listings under the EU’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime but will not be the last.” The sanctions regime – colloquially referred to as the EU’s ‘Magnitsky Act’ – was adopted in December 2020. It allows the EU to target “individuals, entities and bodies” responsible for human rights violations anywhere in the world.       

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter!

US Developments

Russian Election Interference in 2020 Confirmed in Intelligence Community Report

The National Intelligence Council published a report this week detailing the impact of foreign interference in the 2020 federal elections. According to the report, “a key element of Moscow’s strategy this election cycle was its use of proxies linked to Russian intelligence to push influence narratives.” While the report did not name specific US individuals, both CNN and the New York Times link these influence efforts back to the work of Rudolph Giuliani, Donald Trump’s personal lawyer. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security released a companion report stating that they found no evidence that a foreign government successfully manipulated election results.

Russian Disinformation Targets Western-Developed Covid-19 Vaccines

According to the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, and as reported by the Wall Street Journal, Russia is attempting to discredit the Moderna and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines. Four websites directly linked to the Russian intelligence services have been identified in the disinformation efforts. The disinformation attempts to discredit the vaccines with false and misleading information on potential side-effects, efficacy and the development process of the vaccines. White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated that the Biden administration has been monitoring these efforts.

US Army is Reviewing the Pentagon’s Investigation into Michael Flynn

The Pentagon’s watchdog, having finished its investigation into Michael Flynn, has sent its findings to the US Army for final review, according to the Washington Post. This review could result in a steep financial penalty for Flynn, who was President Trump’s National Security Adviser. The investigation first began in April 2017 but was put on hold due to the investigation of former Special Counsel Robert Muller.

Kremlin's Current Narrative

Out of Ideas: Kremlin Accuses West of Information Aggression

In recent days the Kremlin has accused the West of implementing an aggressive information policy. This comes as Russia has taken action to slow down the speed of Twitter, a platform used widely by the Kremlin’s opponents, amidst numerous additional signs that Russia is quickly expanding on oppressive internet legislation. Despite Russia’s approach to information policy, Russian spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, has had a great deal to say on the matter.

In an interview on the Rossiya-1 television channel, Zakharova argued that Russia is depicted in a negative light, stating, “they keep on picturing our country and the former Soviet Union in the historical context as an aggressor country, as a country that has no respect to human rights.” The spokeswoman also complained about an alleged information campaign relating to Russia’s Sputnik vaccine.

According to Zakharova, it is only obvious there has been a campaign against the Sputnik vaccine for many months. The Russian Foreign Ministry official predicted that the alleged campaign is not yet over, supporting an earlier statement on Friday by “a high-ranking source in the Kremlin,” who claimed the West is planning a campaign to create a bias towards domestic scientific developments. Yet, in the face of these alleged information campaigns, Zakharova expressed belief in Russia’s ability to counter aggression.

In essence, the Russian official believes there is one overriding reason as to why the West refrains from openly aggressive behaviour: because Russia has “a system of defence that makes it impossible to do that.” Suggesting Western states are playing “dirty games,” the Russian official also claimed that Russia is currently drafting legislation in order to “protect Russian journalists, the mass media, and the public.” Meanwhile, Russian-state backed media reports further steps Russia have taken to distance itself from the West.

RT highlights the defence industry company Rostec as banning employees from using WhatsApp or Skype, while Sputnik quotes Zakharova as accusing the US of striving for unfair competition in the information space. It could be argued that the narrative only serves to bring attention to the information policies of Russia, placing a bright spotlight on themselves that will hinder rather than help.

Do you like our work?

Our effort to protect liberal democracy across Europe is dependent on private donations.

Kremlin Watch is a strategic program of the European Values Center for Security Policy, which aims to expose and confront instruments of Russian influence and disinformation operations focused against the liberal-democratic system.

For comments. suggestions or media inquiries, please contact the Head of the Kremlin Watch Program Veronika Víchová at veronika.vichova@europeanvalues.cz