Don’t underestimate Russian propaganda

Editor’s note: we are republishing a note that previously appeared in The Fix Media’s weekly newsletter. Subscribe to get everything you need to know about the European media market every Monday.

A year ago the Russian propaganda machine faced a stiff rebuke in Europe, with unprecedented bans and sanctions on state broadcasters like RT. Both before and after, the Kremlin’s propaganda failed to win the public opinion in Europe.

Still, however, Russian state propagandists have had their share of success – most notably within Russia, but also in many countries of the Global South. What’s more, it keeps conducting information operations in Europe.

Let’s start with the most conducive market for Kremlin propaganda – the domestic one. Independent polling shows that 77% Russians support their country’s war against Ukraine, a figure that has only grown since February 2022. That’s largely thanks to the impact of state TV channels. However, even on Telegram, one of the few platforms not blocked in Russia that can host alternative opinions, Russian users mostly opt for pro-invasion military news, reporters and politicians, as The Fix’s Veronika Snoj writes.

According to our analysis, “among nearly 90 most popular news-related channels and chats in the Russian ‘Telegramsphere’ with an audience of about 72 million, more than two thirds openly support the invasion”. (Previously Veronika Snoj looked at one particularly notable phenomenon of the Russian pro-war Telegram media landscape – pro-Kremlin correspondents known as voenkory).

Outside Russia, Kremlin propaganda hasn’t had such spectacular levels of success – but it’s far from being suppressed. “The Western ban of state-funded outlets such as RT and Sputnik didn’t deter the Kremlin’s impact in Spain and Latin America through social media channels, Telegram channels and local influencers who favour Russia’s side”, new analysis by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism shows.

Russian propagandists are also operating in the West. A recent report by the EU’s diplomatic service looks at Russian information manipulation techniques, from official state media to impersonation of Western outlets – we at The Fix summarised key points of the study.

Ultimately, the data shows that it’s important to remain vigilant about the impact of Russian propaganda – and be ready to use bold methods to contain it.

Source of the cover photo: https://unsplash.com

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