Information Warfare

Russian state and pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets try to foment discontent inside EU Member States, exploit existing political issues and erode the credibility of the EU system. From 6-9 June, the next elections to the European Parliament will take place across EU Member States in the largest European democratic exercise for hundreds of millions of people. These elections will give a mandate to the European Parliament for the next five years. In this series of articles, we show examples of key tactics, techniques, and procedures employed by pro-Kremlin manipulators and disinformers targeting the European Parliament elections.

The Kremlin is accusing Zelenskyy of a lack of legitimacy, the EU of censorship, and the ‘global elite’ of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. The likely goal is to divert attention from the situation in Russia. In Russia, there is no more important subject for Kremlin propagandists than blaming others, especially Brussels and Washington, for wrongdoings. They use it to deflect attention away from domestic issues among ordinary Russians and away from the grinding war against Ukraine with its high casualty rates. Shifting blame also helps to flood and pollute the international information space.

The Kremlin’s disinformation ecosystem reverberates with Putin’s lies after his inauguration and the 9 May parade, rewriting history and promising a bright future for all. Meanwhile, a new era has dawned in the land of the Kremlin, promising a bountiful future to all who will swear fealty to the glorious leader. Admittedly, the Great Patriotic War still rages on to ‘denazify’ Ukraine, and aggressive NATO troops are trying to encircle Fortress Russia, but the economy is booming and the West is crumbling so rapidly that judges from Poland are escaping to Belarus to expose the sorry state of affairs at home. This description may feel like it’s coming from an alternate reality, but this was the story the Kremlin’s disinformation mouthpieces were touting this week. Let’s unravel it.

As the widespread protests against the ‘foreign agents’ law in Georgia unfolded, so did the onslaught of pro-Kremlin disinformation, resorting to the usual tropes of accusing the West for plotting a revolution and decrying ‘double standards’. When protestors took to the streets of Tbilisi first in March 2023 and then again in April 2024 to express their opposition to a draft law on foreign agents, later renamed as the draft law on transparency of foreign influence, which was quickly dubbed as the Russian law, winding its way through parliament, the response of the pro-Kremlin disinformation machine was as swift as it was predictable: the West is trying to incite unrest and provoke a ‘colour revolution’ in Georgia, just as they had in Ukraine in 2014.

A play to serve one man’s hubris was carefully orchestrated within the walls of the Kremlin. The re-crowned czar, devoid of greatness despite. The glittering halls of the Kremlin and the militaristic pomp of Red Square hide and silence the grief of countless families that have lost their loved ones in a futile war of the Kremlin’s making. Meanwhile, the Kremlin’s hollow rhetoric of dialogue and peace is engineered to deceive and confuse those uninitiated in Kremlin tactics. propagandists’ best efforts, continues his regime forged in death and destruction. As Putin embarks on his fifth term, enabled by fraudulent elections and manipulation of the constitution, the pro-Kremlin disinformation ecosystem is carefully constructing a narrative. In addition to power, the big lie the Kremlin manipulators are crafting is about invincibility, divine sanction, and historical destiny.

We take a look at how 9 May parades have developed since 1945 in the USSR and Russia, why flashy weapons became fashionable, and what messages speeches sent. Putin just started another presidential term as an unchecked czar of Russia, continuing his rule since the year 2000. War has become the defining feature of his era and nowhere is this clearer that in the daily bombardments and attacks on Ukraine. Inside Russia, this feature will be especially clear during the 9 May parades. Originally a celebration of the USSR as one of the victorious powers in World War II, the parades have now become platforms for the manipulated justification of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.

Putin’s inauguration was a czar-like coronation with him promising more war and unchecked rule. On the 7th of May in Moscow, Putin was sworn in for his next six-year term as president following the heavily manipulated and doctored ‘elections’. Since the year 2000, he has evolved into the Czar, now spending all the country’s resources on Russia’s war against Ukraine, defining his era. The 7th of May show, with its extensive pathos, fanfare and coverage of even Putin’s tiniest moves was a further step in building the cult of personality. On the 9th of May, Moscow will see the WWII parade and an orgy of military posture designed to impress and menace the world.

Svitlana Zalizetska, a Ukrainian journalist from Melitopol, Zapori-zhzhia region, has been writing about life in her city under Russian occupation for over two years. Even now, living in the part of Ukraine not under Russian occupation, she is under constant pressure from Russian aggressors who continue to threaten her, her family, and her colleagues. Despite this, she continues to share stories about life under Russian occupation. Svitlana says that if she were to stop, she would betray her colleagues, so she continues her work for them. We talked to Svitlana about her work during the occupation, the terror that the Russian occupiers spread, and the challenges that journalists in the occupied territories currently face.

Russian state and pro-Kremlin outlets have turned up a campaign to influence and manipulate elections to the European Parliament in June. One technique is to smear key leaders. Follow our series of articles ahead of the elections. During 6-9 June, the next elections to the European Parliament will take place across EU Member States in the largest European democratic exercises for hundreds of millions of people. The mandate given by these elections is five years. In a series of articles, we will bring examples of key tactics, techniques, and procedures employed by pro-Kremlin manipu-lators and disinformers in connection with the European Parliament elections. This handful of articles will examine attempts to smear leaders, foment distrust, flood social media with falsehoods, turn the public’s agenda against Ukraine, and avoid comparisons uncomfortable to Russia.