The Influence of Russian Disinformation on Visegrad Group Countries
Russian Disinformation and its Influence on the Energy Sector in V4 Countries
The energy sector is the main common component of the security policy of the Visegrád Group (V4) countries. For years, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary relied heavily on the import of Russian gas and oil.
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.
“Rossotrudnichestvo” as a Russian tool of influence in the Czech Republic
Due to Russian combat operations in the east and south of Ukraine, traditional forms of warfare are again of greatest interest in Europe. Meanwhile, the Russian Federation has numerous parallel cognitive activities, focused largely in the cultural sphere.
The Power of OSINT in the Digital Age: Boosting fact-checking & investigative journalism
Open-source intelligence has become a vital tool for gathering and verifying information in today’s digital age. With the rise of social media and widespread online activity, vast amounts of publicly available data can now be collected and analyzed.
Distraction and delegitimization: Disinformation as the ultimate means to frame a false bogeyman out of the democratic opposition
The recent attacks on Michal Šimečka, leader of Progressive Slovakia party, highlight a disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting opposition, media, and civil society in Slovakia. By turning Šimečka into a scapegoat, the government distracts from its own missteps, using fabricated narratives to demonize dissent and suppress public scrutiny.
The Polish-Belarusian Border: Russian and Belarusian Narratives
In today’s geopolitical landscape, Poland is engaged in ongoing hybrid warfare with the Russian Federation. This kind of offensive operation is a cornerstone tactic for Vladimir Putin, involving spreading disinformation about the border situation and manipulating it to fit the pro-Kremlin policy and narrative.
Belarus Uses Fugitive Polish Judge to Sow Disinformation
The Belarusian propaganda machine has been exploiting Tomasz Szmydt, a high-ranking judge from a Warsaw administrative court, to produce and disseminate propaganda content. Through both media statements and social media posts, he propagates various Russian disinformation narratives––to enhance the image of Belarus and Russia while disparaging Poland and Western countries.
Disinformation in the Czech Republic (from): Foreign Perspective
The Czech Republic has been confronting a significant challenge with the rise of disinformation, especially regarding critical international issues such as the war in Ukraine, the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and the circumstances surrounding the death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.
Disinformation Narratives in Czech Republic: Domestic Overview
The Czech Republic has a long tradition of combatting Russian propaganda. “The Russians like to label everything Russian as Slavic, so that later they can label everything Slavic as Russian,” the great Czech writer Karel Havlicek Borovsky declared back in the nineteenth century.
Russian Disinformation Narratives in the Czech Republic in the Past Five Years
The Czech Republic has a long tradition of combatting Russian propaganda. “The Russians like to label everything Russian as Slavic, so that later they can label everything Slavic as Russian,” the great Czech writer Karel Havlicek Borovsky declared back in the nineteenth century.
Russian disinformation vs. parliamentary elections in Slovakia
National Council elections were held in Slovakia on 30 September, which were won by the national-left party Smer (23%). The election result meant that a collation had to be formed, as Smer received too few votes to govern alone. The mission to form a government was entrusted by Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová to Smer party leader Robert Fico, who was already in office. Smer has entered into a coalition agreement with the centre-left HLAS (Voice) and the nationalist Slovak National Party (SNS). The new governing coalition has 79 out of 150 seats in parliament.
Russian Disinformation War Against Poland After the Invasion of Ukraine
Following the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the hybrid war waged by the Kremlin has gained in strength due to the solidarity opposition of both Central and Eastern European countries and the European Union. Poland, as a geographically close member of the North Atlantic Alliance and a strong ally of the Ukrainian side, has become the target of increased Russian disinformation attacks.
Russian Disinformation on Grain Crisis in Europe
Representatives of Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary have met on Tuesday, September 5th in Brussels to discuss the matter of expiring, with September 15th, ban on Ukrainian grain import. Members of European Union still cannot reach a consensus regarding the grain issue, that is going to satisfy not only everyone in Europe, but also in Ukraine and the developing parts of the world.
Disinformation as a Tool of Hybrid Warfare at the Polish-Belarusian Border
The Belarusian or Eastern migration and border crisis is one of the biggest hybrid conflicts Central Europe has faced in the 21st century. Although the conflict has faded in the lights of the war in Ukraine since 2022, it remains a live crisis, with its unique challenges, and poses a constant security threat to the states involved and to the European Union as a whole.
The project was co-financed by The International Visegrad Fund
The project’s aim is to monitor the influence of russian disinformation in relation to the Visegrad Group countries – Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. Actions to intesify cooperation and good neighborliness to consolidation relations in the social and institutional dimension between Visegard Group countries.
Partners:
Adapt Institute
Migration Research Institute
European Values Center for Security Policy
Fundacja Warsaw Institute
