Russia Media Policy As An Instrumentality Of Political Pressure In Central-Eastern European Countries

Abstract

The usage of information as a weapon in foreign and domestic policies of Russia is not a new phenomenon. Still sophistication and intensity of it grows with each passing year. Recently the EU and USA have realized this powerful latent influence of Russian media and propaganda, including electoral processes and activities of State administration. They realized that Russian misinformation poses a serious threat to United States and its European allies, first and foremost with regard to Poland, Baltic States and Ukraine. Moreover, unlike Soviet propaganda, the modern methods of the Russian information war do not rudely promote the agenda of the Kremlin. Instead, they aim to confuse, daze and divert citizens from the EU and Ukraine support. Russia seeks to undermine the support of European values, producing disarray among European allies in order to increase its influence. Ethnic, linguistic, regional, social and historical contradictions and stereotypes are used for this purpose.

As current experience shows, Russian advocacy efforts in Europe make an important part of their hybrid approach to the projection of force. Despite the fact that the crisis in Ukraine for the first time drew the attention of the West to the importance and real meaning of the information campaign in Russia, the Kremlin's use of misinformation was launched long before the crisis. Russia carefully and purposefully prepared an information war against Ukraine. It has been increasing their presence in the information space, and also recruiting and sponsoring (corrupting) a range of politicians, civil servants and public figures in line with its strategic goals.

Keywords: Russian media, media policy, CEE countries, cyber security, Ukraine