CUTalonia

How Russian news networks are using Catalonia to destabilize Europe

Media stories in English, Russian and German equating crisis in Spain with conflicts in Crimea and Kurdistan

In a bid to sow division within the European Union, Russia’s online disruption machinery is working at full speed to equate the Catalan crisis to the Crimean or Kurdish conflicts in the eyes of public opinion.

A detailed analysis of pro-Russian media shows that these have multiplied their coverage of Catalonia in Spanish, English, German and Russian, and that all of this output systematically portrays the Spanish government and justice system as guilty of violent repression in the northeastern region. These news organizations claim that Madrid has sent paramilitary troops to Barcelona, and warns that a civil war is imminent as the EU passively stands by. The Russian media compared these events to Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and the Kurdish referendum vote.

One pro-Kremlin news organization, the daily Vzglyad, on Wednesday wrote: “Spain forcibly suppresses the Catalan spring,” followed by the assertion that “the Crimean spring has moved to the Pyrenees.”

The basic premise of the pro-Russian disruption machinery is to create information that is sometimes real, sometimes fake.

“We’re not talking about Soviet propaganda or anything like that. It’s not all fake news,” says Brett Schaffer, an analyst at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a project of the German Marshall Fund created in the wake of Russian meddling in the US elections, and whose goal is to “publicly document and expose Vladimir Putin’s ongoing efforts to subvert democracy in the United States and Europe.”

“This does not mean that Russia wants Catalonia to be independent at any cost. What it fundamentally seeks is to create division, in order to slowly undermine Europe’s democracy and institutions,” he adds.

Source:

https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/09/25/inenglish/1506323273_063367.html

THE PRIME MINISTER OF HUNGARY USES THE LAW OF EDUCATION TO WIN IN THE ELECTIONS

In April 2018, in Hungary there will be held the elections for the General Assembly. The opportunity to vote also will be given to those who do not permanently reside in Hungary, but have Hungarian passports. To do this, they must register on a special site.

Mr Orban said they will take part "in solving the fate and future of the Carpathian Basin countries."

Therefore, the game on feelings of Hungarians in Ukraine, taking into consideration the upcoming election campaign, is quite predictable.

"Of course, the statements are consistent with Victor Orban's party politics, but the problem is much wider. I believe that accelerated cultural and linguistic expansion would allow both Hungary and Romania to have the ground for further putting forward other claims to Ukraine. "

These claims may concern both the greater autonomy of the territories where the Hungarians and Romanians live together, and territorial claims as well, the expert says.

"The wrong policy of Ukraine has led to the Hungarian state being a big benefactor for them, rather than Ukraine. This is a wild situation, but that`s how the things are, these people are more oriented towards Hungary. And this should be corrected as soon as possible ".

Experts believe that Kiev should not change its position, although it does not exclude that in the course of consultations and negotiations, as well as after the expertise of the law by European structures, it is possible to agree on minor concessions.

Sources:

http://zakarpatpost.net/2017/10/03/zakarpattsi-ne-vynni-orban-vykorystovuje-zakon-pro-osvitu-zadlya-peremohy-na-vyborah/

http://knyazeva.blog.hu/2017/10/28/az_ukran_oktatasi_reform_mint_a_gyozelem_lepese_a_magyarorszagi_valasztasokon

How to “swing” Europe

Putin sees in the Catalonian referendum an opportunity to convince the European Union, NATO, and the UN that it is time to recognize that Crimea belongs to Russia and to let bygones be bygones. After all, business and political interests in Europe are getting restive. They contend that, after almost four years, it is time to return to “business as usual” with Russia.

“What is so troubling is that the Russians used the same playbook and nobody seems to care,” information warfare expert Molly K. McKew told The Washington Times. “It’s the constant drumbeat: ‘Minorities are disadvantaged, the West has nothing to offer, democracy doesn’t work.’”

Experts say Moscow fights a subtle war of subversion rather than domination. The Kremlin has perfected the technique of finding divisive social issues including race, gun control, religion or gay rights to highlight rather than trying to promote an individual candidate or position. 

How does it work?

Eastern European and Russian “troll farms” and robotic accounts then use algorithms to make polarizing hot-button topics trend across a country’s internet space. “The Kremlin can’t create these societal divisions,” she said, speaking by telep

hone from Estonia. “But they can find them and turn the volume way up. They did it in the U.S. — find a bitter partisan divide and exploited Brexit” — the U.K. vote to leave the European Union — “was similar.”

The Madrid-based El Pais provided coverage of a report warning of Russian interference, especially from what has been called the government-funded broadcaster Russia Today, or RT. The station was accused of pushing fake referendum news from its Spanish-language portal.

“The sad part is,” she said, “people know they have no credibility, but when a local issue comes from their mouth, people don’t care about the source, they just react.”

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2017/10/16/how-russia-is-playing-catalonia-to-get-a-reprieve-on-crimea/#537e848e603c

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/oct/2/catalonia-independence-vote-likely-influenced-by-r/

Як мережі російських новин використовують Каталонію для дестабілізації Європи

У статтях англійською, російською та німецькою мовами кризу в Іспанії порівнюють із конфліктами в Криму та Курдистані

У спробі посіяти зерно розбрату в Європейському Союзі, російська кібермашина руйнування працює на повній швидкості, порівнюючи в очах громадськості каталонську кризу до кримського або курдського конфліктів.

Детальний аналіз проросійських ЗМІ свідчить про збільшення кількості статей про Каталонію іспанською, англійською, німецькою та російською, крім того у цих репортажах систематично звинувачують уряд та судову систему Іспанії у жорстоких репресіях в північно-східному регіоні. Зазначені агенства новин стверджують, що Мадрид відправив воєнізовані підрозділи до Барселони, і попереджає, що громадянська війна неминуча, адже ЄС не квапиться втручатися. Російські ЗМІ порівняли ці події з анексією Криму в 2014 році та курдським референдумом.

Одне з прокремлівських інформаційних агентств "Взгляд" написало: "Іспанія примусово пригнічує каталонську весну", за яким слідує твердження, що "кримська весна перейшла до Піренеїв".

Принцип роботи проросійського інтернетмеханізму сіяння розбрату полягає у створенні інформації, яка частково правдива, часткова фейкова.

"Ми не говоримо про радянську пропаганду чи щось подібне. Це не зовсім фейкова новина", - каже Бретт Шаффер, аналітик Альянсу із захисту демократії, проект німецького фонду Маршалла, створений внаслідок втручання Росії у вибори в США, і метою якого є "публічно документувати та розкривати спроби В.Путіна зруйнувати демократію в Сполучених Штатах та Європі".

"Це не означає, що Росія хоче, щоб Каталонія була незалежною будь-якою ціною. Насправді ж, метою є створення розколу, який буде повільно підривати європейську демократію та інституції", - додає він.

Source:

https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/09/25/inenglish/1506323273_063367.html

Russian propaganda federal spending is the biggest in the world

Russia heads the list of countries with the largest state spending on propaganda. In 2017, total amount of financial assistance of pro-government Russian media reached record-breaking 70 bln rubles (more than 1 bln dollars).

Just to compare, in 2016, 61 bln rubles was appropriated from the state budget for the Russian media.

It was told by the TV channel “Dozhd” with a reference to Forbes and data from the register of subsidies.

Mass media gets money from the subsidies on executing government contracts or on special tasks.

The majority of money is spent on All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK). The subsidy on this media-holding is 21,8 bln rubles. The next is Russia Today that gets 17,5 bln rubles.

The funds also go to the shooting of programs and films. During 2 years, VGTRK has been receiving 85 mln rubles per year for the program “Vesti”.

Source:

http://www.vitki.info/%D0%A0%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%8F%20%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%8F%D0%BB%D0%B0%20%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B5%20%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%20%D0%B2%20%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B5%20%D0%BF%D0%BE%20%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%BC%20%D0%B7%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BC%20%D0%BD%D0%B0%20%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%83.html

http://argumentua.com/novosti/rossiya-potratila-na-propagandu-v-smi-pochti-milliard-dollarov

How to Wage an Information War

“One clear lesson is that you can't fight propaganda with propaganda,” says Tetiana Popova. “If you do that you lose credibility yourself and bring all facts into doubt,” adds the former Ukrainian deputy minister for information policy.

“And that is what the Russians want,” she said firmly.

Like many media experts in Europe, Popova worries that Russia is turning free speech against the West and using democratic information tools such as Twitter as weapons in a hybrid war.

“Now, they are more sophisticated, taking a real story or facts out of context and manipulating it, tailoring and shaping it for the audiences they want to influence,” she says.

Last May, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko issued a decree blocking access to some popular Russian-based social networking sites, including Yandex, the Russian equivalent of Google, and Vkontakte.

Popova is supportive of the TV ban, saying it doesn't harm freedom of speech as Ukrainians can still watch the channels, if they use a VPN or have satellite, but she thinks media bans should be imposed by courts and not government and that open societies shouldn't restrict freedom of speech.

“The thing that works best is letting journalists do their jobs,” she argues. “Universities and non-profits are doing a good job in monitoring the Russian output but more is needed,” she adds, citing the work of fact-checking sites in the U.S. and Europe, which are often funded by journalism departments and think tanks.

“In the longer term, educating the public to be more discriminating about media is crucial, and that needs to start at school with media literacy classes, but all of that will take time,” she says.

Source:

https://www.voanews.com/a/how-to-wage-an-information-war/4033287.html