Date: 25 November 2024, Author: Jacek Plaza
The image of Slovakia and its society in the Russian media
The relations between the Russian Federation and European countries are currently extremely complicated due to Moscow’s military operations in the east and south of Ukraine. One of the consequences of this state of affairs is the creation of a specific image of European countries by the media originating from Russia.
Usually, the aim of the Russian media is to create the most negative image of EU and NATO members by very strong criticism of their policies, societies and political elites. However, Slovakia can count on special treatment, as despite being a member of the North Atlantic Alliance, which is hostile to the Kremlin, and its involvement in the European system of sanctions imposed on Russia, it is not presented only negatively in the Russian media.
It is worth noting at the outset that the recipients of information about Slovakia in the Russian media are not only the residents of the Russian Federation themselves, but also Slovaks, who can influence the future policy of their country at the ballot box. Convincing them of Russia’s positive attitude towards the Slovak nation may prove to be a great support for local politicians who support revitalizing relations with Moscow. Russian media try to reach Slovaks through well-known representatives of this nation, conducting talks with people of culture and sports, in which a vision of friendly relations between the nations of Russia and Slovakia is presented. The creators of Russian propaganda place the main emphasis on emphasizing the positive feelings of Slovak society towards Russia.
Responsibility for decisions that are not conducive to improving mutual relations is attributed to several allegedly corrupt politicians, obediently carrying out orders from the West. Religion has recently become a tool that helps emphasize the closeness of both nations. An example of such use of this term is the recent interview with Slovak musician Milan Olsiak, which was published in the medium Российская Газета.
One of the main topics discussed in the interview was the closeness of the values professed by Catholic Slovaks to the dogmas of the Orthodox Church, which Russia is trying to defend against alleged persecution in Ukraine. Российская Газета also drew attention to the attitude of Slovaks towards the events of World War II and the participation of the Red Army in the fight against the German occupiers in Central Europe. Historical memory is another important element creating a complex image of Russian-Slovak friendship in the Kremlin’s propaganda media. In addition to the subject of Slovakia’s liberation from Nazi occupation, another frequently raised issue that is meant to unite both nations is the Slovak national revival of the 19th century, which took place in opposition to the Austrians who controlled Slovakia at the time and in fact referred to ties with Russia, as the strongest Slavic state at the time. The memory of those events is evoked by the Russian media, among other things, by propagating the idea of Pan-Slavism, emphasizing its popularity in Slovakia today, and by promoting the organization Slovenske Hnutie Obrody (SHO), which refers precisely to Pan-Slavism and advocates close cooperation with Russia. The attachment to the proper values related to historical events attributed to Slovaks by the Russian media is also visible in the disproportionate publicity of minor events commemorating past events. In September this year, Many popular Russian portals and newspapers wrote extensively about the “meetings of friends of Russia” that took place in central Slovakia with the participation of a representative of the Russian diplomatic mission in that country. In addition to the meeting itself, the published texts also referred to the criticism that Slovakia expressed regarding the then unrealized plans for NATO countries to issue Ukraine permission to use Western weapons to shell the territory of the Russian Federation. Russia’s favorable perception of Slovakia is noticeable not only in media coverage, but also in some symbolic decisions of the Kremlin authorities. According to reports from the TASS agency on September 20, 2024, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin announced a list of 47 countries that pursue policies introducing destructive neoliberal ideological attitudes. It includes all European Union countries except Hungary and Slovakia, which the agency itself also emphasized on its English-language website.
The image of Slovakia in the Russian media is seemingly created for the Russian recipient, in order to convince them that Moscow’s policy also finds support abroad, even in NATO countries. However, the addressee is also the Slovaks themselves, among whom pro-Russian tendencies are often present compared to other European societies. Therefore, the Slovaks, who are potentially susceptible to Russian propaganda content, are shown a positive image of the relations between the Russian and Slovak nations, as well as a favorable attitude of Russia itself towards their country, which is intended to convince them of the good intentions of the Eastern European power. It is difficult to determine at the moment to what extent the discussed strategy is bringing the expected results, but it will probably be continued, as may be indicated by the growing amount of Russian media coverage available in English and Slovak.
Bibliography:
1. TASS, Russian prime minister approves list of countries imposing destructive attitudes, https://tass.com/politics/1845935, 20.09.2024
2. Газета.ру, В Словакии организовали «Встречи друзей России», https://www.gazeta.ru/social/news/2024/09/15/23930743.shtml, updated 15.09.2024
3. А. Борисов, Российская Газета, Профессор Ольшиак: Словакия стремится восстановить братские отношения с Россией, https://rg.ru/2024/08/20/professorolshiak-slovakiia-stremitsia-vosstanovit-bratskie-otnosheniia-s-rossiej.html, 20.08.202
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