How Ukraine fights Russian disinformation. 10 key lessons from the frontline for the West. A fresh paper by me &
@r_osadchuk
.
🔗
A few highlights below 🧵
📢 Want to learn key lessons from Ukraine's fight against disinformation? Look no further. Here are some highlights from the latest report by Hybrid CoE’s
@kalenskyj
and
@r_osadchuk
from
@DFRLab
. A thread: (1/6)
Yesterday, I had a chat with my great 🇺🇦 friend. She was fuming. “I spent a week in Brussels, and the people there complain to ME about this Ukraine fatigue. Every day, we get the news some of our friends or family members die, but it’s Europeans who are tired? Seriously?”
Ukraine is the only country in Europe that paid thousands of lives defending the values outlined in the founding documents of the EU. There is no one who deserves the EU membership more.
It would be very nice if the media stopped just repeating Kremlin's nuclear threats, and started exposing them for what they really are: information operations designed to paralyse the free world into inaction and facilitate Kremlin's aggression (1/2)
Is it the occupation of Ukraine and Georgia, the bombing of children in hospitals in Syria, the 13,000 Ukrainians murdered by Putin, the assassinations with radioactive and nerve agents on European soil, or the election meddling and cyberattacks that charmed you
@EmmanuelMacron
?
I feel shame. We claim we stand for human rights, democracy and rule of law; but if a country defends these values against the worst aggression since Hitler, we fail to deliver. It’s repulsive. We don’t even deserve Ukrainians.
I didn’t expect that my cat 🐈 will have to join the boycott of companies sponsoring Kremlin’s war crimes against Ukraine, but here we are. She’ll understand
Nestle refuses to quit Russia and continues to fund Putin’s war crimes in Ukraine. These are the brands to look out for if you wish to boycott Nestle products
To quote
@Kasparov63
(and sorry for mild inaccuracies, it’s from the top of my head): “They don’t want to admit the truth, because if they admitted the truth, they would need to act. But nobody wants to act.” West vs Russia in the past 20 years in two sentences.
I have to admit I do not understand. Have I missed the part where the
#Kremlin
apologised for murdering people on British soil with radioactive and nerve agents, sent the perpetrators to jail and promised never to do it again?
@edwardlucas
,
@peterpomeranzev
- do you know?
#Russia
’s ambassador to
#Britain
says the two countries have agreed to gradually reinstate dozens of diplomatic personnel who were expelled by both sides following the
#Novichok
poisoning in Salisbury.
War crime after war crime after war crime. If we can't defend rules and values of the free world even in Europe, who is supposed to believe in them? We must do more to stop these atrocious, horrifying acts of state terrorism
Moje nabídka zajít k soudu a vyjasnit si to trvá. Českou republiku jsem naopak za reakci na dezinformace dával za příklad (např.
@CTHH_MV
). Pokud jsem něco českého zmiňoval negativně, byly to jen české kanály kremelské dezinformační mašiny, nic jiného.
Today, I start my new job as senior analyst at the
@HybridCoE
in Helsinki. I will continue my work on the Russia and disinformation files, now more important than ever. I am excited to join my new colleagues and looking forward to working with the governments more closely again.
This is why Putin’s criminal regime is trying to destroy Ukraine so hard. If democracy and rule of law succeeds in Ukraine - then Russians might think it is possible even in Russia! And that is the biggest danger for the mafia regime in the Kremlin
The contrast between Ukrainians voting in free and fair elections last weekend and Russians getting arrested for wanting free and fair elections this weekend is striking.
I know many people think that generally, Finns look like Jukka Jalonen after winning a gold medal (); but when defending the border against Russian invaders, they show a different expression. Meet Simo Häyhä, AKA the White Death.
#NATO
Je neuvěřitelné, že i po letech zkušeností s kremelskou dezinformační kampaní má ČT potřebu její lháře a podvodníky zvát jako “legitimní názor”. Lež není názor - lež je lež.
Luxusní stěrka klausovského trolla Jakla v přímém přenosu
#UdK
.
Profesor Igor Lukeš zabodoval tak, že jsme málem spadli smíchy ze židle.
Bravo!
“Starý džíny plný záplat
Z košile je cítit dým
Vojenský má z kotců kabát
Zkrátka lesní manekýn”
The ease with which some Westerners are once again ready to sacrifice the lives of people living between Germany and Russia is mindblowing. In this philosophy, “never again” is apparently valid only for the people living west of Berlin.
Thank you,
@guardian
, yes. Good to see
@Kasparov63
’s thought “the price of stopping the dictator only goes up” increasing popularity. Now we only need the action that results from this understanding
How many more people have to die before our policy makers start taking disinformation campaigns seriously? This is by far not the first case when systematic disinformation campaign led to violence. There have been many warnings before
Happy to see that
@Kasparov63
’s insight that the price of stopping the dictator goes up every day we don’t stop him is finally penetrating the minds of Western decision makers. Sad to see it’s happening several years too late.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg: “If [Vladimir] Putin gets his way by using military force against an independent, democratic nation in Europe it will be [a] much higher [price] than the price we pay today to support Ukraine."
"Be prepared for the long haul," he added.
Well, it's pretty much the same pattern as with praising Stalinism in the last 10-15 years. If you plan to turn your country into a North Korea, you have to explain to your citizens that North Korea is doing great
I've heard a lot said on Russian state TV, but this is certainly a new one…
Ahead of Vladimir Putin's meeting with Kim Jong-un, Nikolai Starikov praises North Korea's "successful" economy and political system
This will sound quite painful to most of Russia experts in every country between Germany and Russia (there are quite a few and many of them tried to be vocal), to people like
@Kasparov63
,
@edwardlucas
,
@KeirGiles
… Should someone make a list of all those people who warned us?
Macron visited Scholz today in Berlin. Scholz said that no one could have known the war in
#Ukraine
would break out, or that "thousands and thousands would experience death and destruction" as a result.
Where has he been since 2014? Or before that? I mean, really?🙄
These sick lies from Putin's liar-in-chief mean only one thing: it is actually Russia who is preparing to use these. They're preparing the ground for some more war crimes.
I love this. Reminds me of the old days when Kremlin's propagandists claimed that Crimea was Russian already 160 million years ago: Russia is also responsible for the Big Bang, and Adam and Eve had Russian passports, too. 🤡
Catching up with the great
@Kasparov63
's TED talk: and by the way, Happy Birthday, Sir!
My personal 13 highlights (Garry's favourite number, I believe) from the speech:
Just like it was after 1956 invasion of Hungary, 1968 Czechoslovakia, 1979 Afghanistan... Screenshot from Bittman's book KGB and Soviet disinformation (2/2)
Tens of thousands of Georgians defending democratic values & European future as the ruling party drags the country closer Russia. We know the luxury of independent institutions, free speech and elections. Georgia was the first nation to die for its Euro-Atlantic future in 2008.
V Ukrajině není žádná občanská válka. To je sprostá lež Kremlu. V Ukrajině probíhá ruská vojenská agrese. Nesmysl o občanské válce může šířit jen lhář, nebo užitečný idiot Moskvy
Kateřina Konečná na ČT24: Na Ukrajině je občanská válka a není to o Západu ani Východě, ale o novém prezidentu, který uklidní situaci a Ukrajinci budou moci opět žít v klidu. Věřím, že nenechá z...
Můj otec si taky myslí, že všechna moudrost světa je Na Růžku a na TV Prima, a každý, kdo vystrčil paty mimo Hradec Králové, je jen snobský debil nerozumějící skutečnému životu. Ale naštěstí nedělá europoslance
It is depressing that this still needs to be repeated over and over and over again (I wonder how
@Kasparov63
or
@KeirGiles
are doing it that they find the strength to do that). As if there was no chance that we will ever abandon the pattern of hope triumphing over experience
The decision not to punish russia for their aggression in Ukraine in 2014-15 & introduce a kind of a deal ended up w a full scale genocide 7yrs later
No way that the decision not to punish russia again & introduce a deal now could end w long peace. It will end w a much bigger war
Criminals, savages, barbarians. From Putin to anybody listening to these inhumane orders, they all deserve fates worse than death. I can’t believe that this is allowed to happen. The free world should do everything possible to stop these atrocious crimes ASAP
Dost desivy clanek od
@petrkou
. Ministri CR de facto ignoruji doporuceni expertu a bezpecnostni rizika - jen proto, aby se na ne predstavitel asijske diktatury nezlobil. Presny opak toho, jak ma vypadat hajeni zajmu CR
Typical Kremlin communication routine with KGB tradition:
1️⃣ we didn't do it!
2️⃣ if we had done it - what does it matter, there was no difference
3️⃣ look at everybody else, they are doing it!
"The only real way to help what is left of Russian civil society is to do whatever possible to end Putin's dictatorship." I genuinely feel frustrated how often is it necessary to repeat these very obvious lessons. Thank you,
@Kasparov63
, for having the power to do so
Chápu, že pro někoho, kdo zkoušel budovat kariéru s Věcmi Veřejnými, Okamurou, a Realisty, to bude nepochopitelné - ale o tom, co je pravda a co lež, nerozhodují lidé, nýbrž fakta, realita.
Useful reminder for everyone advocating the need for “dialogue” with today’s Russia - it is a regime that has reanimated worshipping of a mass murderer who killed more people than Hitler.
Today in
#Moscow
,
#Russia
, hundreds of people brought flowers to
#Stalin
’s grave near the Kremlin wall on the day of his death.
Stalin was a mass murderer who carved up countries and deported entire ethnic groups from their homes. Glorifying him is morally sick.
It's still incomprehensible to me that it took Feb 24 to sanction this Putin's warmonger. He's been spreading hatred and inciting to violence for years.
Zadejte do Googlu "hospitals in Russia". Kliknete na Images // vygooglete take "HIV epidemic in Russia", nebo "life expectancy in Russia" // zapremyslejte, co se tak muze nas zdravotnicky vybor od tohoto rezimu priucit
Zdravím vás z Ruska 🇷🇺 Užívejte si hezkého počasí v Česku, tady je už skoro zima ❄️🙂 Budu v Moskvě do úterý na pracovní návštěvě se členy Výboru pro zdravotnictví naší Sněmovny. Návštěvu jsme začali stylově - pietním aktem u Hrobu neznámého vojína a prohlídkou Kremlu 👀
Exactly. Russia has grown from a couple of birches around Moscow to an empire encompassing 11 time zones as a result of purely defensive wars, as all the nations in those 11 time zones can confirm (if they can’t, it’s probably because they are Nazis).
Just to be clear: this is no “symmetrical” response. We kicked out GRU and SVR criminals - they kicked out diplomats. We kicked out circa 10 percent of their embassy - they kicked out circa 80 percent of ours. This is not really a response, but clearly an escalation.
Russia has responded to the actions by the Czech government. The Foreign Ministry says it has declared 20 Czech diplomats persona non grata, and they don't have long to pack their bags - they must leave Russia by the end of tomorrow (Monday).
I'm scared how many people, even bright ones, refuse to accept the idea that the Kremlin can exploit a situation that they haven't created. Creating something and using something are two different things. I can e.g. use my phone, which I could never create
Přátelé a sousedi, než mě časový rozdíl skolí - děkuju za milá slova z mnoha zdrojů, jsem opravdu příjemně překvapený. Podpora každého z Vás je důležitá, neb jasně převážila hnojomety z druhé strany. Moc za to děkuju, dáváte mi (a lidem jako
@JessikkaAro
) sílu a chuť pokračovat
Today, I’m going to ignore the match between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, I’ll ignore Egypt vs Uruguay and Portugal vs Spain. I alone won’t make the difference, but together we can, and the sponsors should know it.
#BoycottWorldCup2018
#NaziOlympics1936
For these situations, apply the
@Kasparov63
rule: When dealing with a dictator, it is better to act and later admit you overreacted, rather than to keep waiting until any action is impossible. The West tried Option 2 with Crimea: and it wasn’t really a success, was it
If you don't punish russia for their crimes, they will be repeating them, always. They did this to Norway a few years ago, then their proxy Lukashenka repeated it, now it's Finland. You don't punish russia ➡️ russia continues to do harm, just like laws of physics
Since 2014, ever more European states come to the same conclusion: Russia (not terrorism or migration) is the number one threat to security. How come it is not an official EU policy? How come this doesn’t make more front pages than migration?
Typical KGB three-step pattern.
1️⃣ RU did nothing wrong.
2️⃣ even if RU did something wrong, it either didn't have any impact, or it was well deserved (ergo it wasn't really wrong).
3️⃣ have a look at the US: Vietnam / Iraq / Native Americans and Afro-Americans🤬
And repeat 🔁
Hey
@rogerwaters
, first you say there won’t be a war, because Putin is too good. Than there is a war - and you say well, it’s a war for a good reason. Why don’t you already move to Russia, you gutless, heartless, merciless, lost little person?
#PutinsPuppet
#StandWithUkraine
Dear Europeans - I hope it does not come as a big surprise, but the Kremlin is doing the same on our continent. It would be nice if someone started paying attention.
Pre-Trump, Russians created 48
@Twitter
accounts for fake papers—like the Chicago Daily News & the Seattle Post. Most interestingly: they “never spread misinformation” but “posted real local news, serving as sleeper accounts building trust and readership.”
“While it’s irresistible to theorize about what exactly Putin has on Trump to keep him on such a tight leash, it’s more important to accept the fact that it is happening.” 🎯
@Kasparov63
Garry Kasparov: “With Mueller indicting more Russian agents & potential Democratic takeover in the midterms threatening to curtail Trump’s authority, Putin is rushing to squeeze everything he can from his prized Oval Office asset before it is devalued.”
Yesterday, I testified before
@HouseForeign
on Kremlin’s disinformation campaign in Europe. The full written testimony will be published soon, in the meantime, video highlights compiled by my
@DisinfoPortal
colleagues 👇
5 years after the Kremlin's information blitzkrieg against Ukraine,
@kalenskyj
testified before
@HouseForeign
on how this blitzkrieg has transformed into "a sustained and ongoing disinformation campaign" that is aimed to "undermine democracies, human rights, and rule of law."
“By the time [an] interference campaign is visible to the public, it’s already happening.” Why are
#Kremlin
’s influence campaigns more advanced and more targeted than many thought.
#mustread
by one of the most knowledgeable authors on this topic,
@chrizap
:
HOW TO DEFEND AGAINST DISINFORMATION -- my latest report, a result of several years of collecting best practices in countering disinformation in Europe and beyond. In: 🧵 with highlights below 👇
Absolutely precise by
@Nigelgd1
?. Similar or even the same arguments have been made in the last years by
@KeirGiles
,
@edwardlucas
,
@Kasparov63
and others. It would be great to finally listen to those who have proven to be right over and over again
I genuinely feel sorry for Ukrainians. In Czechoslovakia, we had just one moment of Munich Betrayal in 1938 (and many people still feel the grievance even today). Ukraine gets betrayed by the West month after month for several years already.
Le Figaro: “Macron is ignoring Zelensky’s cry for help”
Le Monde: “Almost nothing” was said about Ukraine’s hopes for EU and NATO
Liberation: “The West is ready to support Ukraine, but not at the cost of a collision with Russia”
Seems like Zelensky had a “productive” visit
Russia has been repeating the disinfo narrative "the West has mistreated and humiliated Russia" for years to fabricate a justification their crimes. All that despite being treated more favourably by the West than probably any other country in the world.
Oh, how I hear you. I spent the last seven years observing the RU information space — and it’s been seven years of frustration that the West is so strongly determined to ignore reality and to live with the Russia of their dreams instead of the Russia we have here and now.
#Ukraine
I am not sure that Europe and the world understand the nature of the genocidal discourse about Ukraine circulating in the Russian information space. Read the following excerpts. -- THREAD (1) 👇
I really don’t understand this “Ukraine accuses”, “Ukraine says that”… Who else would be to blame?? Who else is shelling and mining humanitarian corridors? Who else is violating ceasefires? Who invaded the country in the first place and created this whole tragedy?
🎯🎯🎯
@edwardlucas
"The West is losing not because we lack economic or military clout, or because our societies are fatally flawed, but because our decision-making is irresolute. We prefer short-term pain avoidance to long-term gain."
The inability of the
#Kremlin
to accept that most of the world is living in the 21st century and that the Soviet empire doesn't have a say anymore in how we in the civilised world decorate our cities is...not perplexing, just annoying
#Zakharova
on the dismantling of the monument to Ivan
#Konev
in
#Prague
: The inability of the central government to call municipal officials to order and to stop malicious activity that violates the country’s international obligations is perplexing.
#HandsOff
When people tell you Kremlin’s disinformation has no effect, show them this. Two countries invaded, first annexation of territory since Hitler, over 10,000 Ukrainians killed, terrorist assassinations abroad - and the murderous, kleptocratic, bullying thug still has these numbers
Když budete sledovat ruské státní kanály, budete vědět, co si myslí Tomio Okamura (Klaus mladší, Schneider, Hájek, Bašta, Foldyna, Plesl…) dřív, než si to budou myslet oni
#justsaying
Pitomio rozjíždí boj proti Sorosovi. "Cílem neziskovek, napojených personálně a finančně na organizační síť George Sorose, je zničení národní identity a přirozených kulturních a společenských hodnot."..a hlavně ten vliv na veřejnoprávní média..to je už totálka magor.
4/ stopping the influx of dirty money that the criminal regime in the Kremlin stole from the Russian people and that they use to buy villas in Italy and pay for schools in England and France. Investigations, confiscations, punishing money laundering. End of NordStream, of course
Breaking: Members of the same FSB poison squad who tailed
@navalny
were tracking outspoken Russian poet and journalist Dmitry Bykov just before he fell into a coma in Siberia in April 2019
A reminder to the “but Russia is no Soviet Union” crowd. Sure, they’re not: they just claim to be the successor state, defend all the crimes of the Soviet Kremlin, defend the memorials to the Red Army, and replicate Soviet censorship, fake media, fake democracy and fake justice
Tank T-34 at the memorial to
#Soviet
troops in
#Berlin
covered with
#Ukrainian
flag
#Russian
Embassy sent a note of protest, but the Berlin authorities replied that the T-34 tank was developed in Ukrainian city of
#Kharkiv
.
Once you let the aggressor get away with a crime, he’ll commit more crimes - mechanism described by
@Kasparov63
. Moreover, other wannabe dictators are closely following the situation. “Putin gets away with X? Then I can get away with Y!” Unpunished crimes ➡️ more criminals
An incredible, unsung success of Viktor Orbán: getting away with defying a European Court of Justice ruling since last June.
It seems that Hungary has been experimenting whether it is let operate with legislation violating EU law. It is - so expect more legal degeneration...
Thanks for asking, Adam, I would be delighted to take that question.
1/ REAL sanctions. Not the kind of sanctions when you can still buy a BMW in Moscow, and when Procter & Gamble, Nestle and Oriflame spend millions on advertisement on Russian pseudomedia. Real sanctions.
Když něco vypadá jako kachna, kváká jako kachna, chodí jako kachna, a vyhledává to společnost jiných kachen, můžete si tipnout, co je to za zvíře. A když to bude popírat, že je to kachna, a bude to obviňovat vás, že jste rusofobní kachna - tak je to nejspíš kremelská kachna
Pražský imám, Leonid Kušnarenko, ještě před pár lety obdivovatel Kremlu, boxu, kontaktních sportů, střelby po všem co se hne, advokát. Najednou se objevil jako horlivý muslim...pár foto z jeho životní pouti, kde nechybí ani Noční vlci a ani třeba Foldyna.
Tak, dal jsem si patnáct minut s profilem toho nového kandidáta do RRTV.
#Thread
/
#Vl
ákno pro labužníky.
Nejdřív tu máme slovenského gaunera
@AndrejBabis
, se kterým má jít Miloš do prdele
I am a bit conflicted. While I understand the good motivation, I also increasingly find myself merciless towards the people who were perfectly OK with their country committing war crimes, bombing maternity wards and raping children, as long as it didn’t affect them directly.
This is the time to bombard Russia with alternative information about war and Putin's rule. This is the first time since the war started that majority of Russians actually start caring about what the hell is going on.
Independent media, Youtube, Telegram.
Now is the time.
…kidnapped an Estonian from Estonia, hacked half of Europe from governments to private business, violated borders and airspace of every Nordic country, meddled into pretty much every European election process in the past three years…
It's not like Russia:
♦Invaded Ukraine
♦Annexed Crimea
♦Hacked election systems in 7 U.S. states
♦Interfered in the U.S. elections
♦Employed hybrid warfare tactics worldwide
♦Poisoned
#Litvinenko
,
#Skripal
et al.
Dear Russians,
Please vote in this referendum for 🇷🇺Russia to be reunited with the 🇳🇱Netherlands.
Voluntarily of course. We promise to count all votes fairly, just as
@DarthPutinKGB
always does ;-)
#WeAreNAFO
Find out why Russia belongs to us & vote!
"(...) the equation is brutally simple: the less willing the West is to show Russia its actions have consequences, the more Ukrainian men, women and children will die."
@KeirGiles