Role of Russia in 2019 EP Elections

ABOUT Role of Russia in 2019 EP Elections

With the support of Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Political Capital is monitoring Russian attempts to meddle in the EP elections in the V4 in the frames of the "Investigating Russia's role and the Kremlin's expected influence in the 2019 EP elections" project. Political Capital's local partners are the Polish Center for Propaganda and Disinformation Analysis, the Czech Prague Security Studies Institute and Slovakian political analyst Grigorij Meseznikov. The main focus of the project is mapping the dissemination of anti-EU and pro-Russian disinformation, summarising its main narratives and formulating policy recommendations aiding the fight against manipulative information.

Society

Russian Meddling in 2019 EP Elections: Euroskeptics Did Kremlin’s Job

BY Patrik Szicherle, Stefano Gardiman AND Role of Russia in 2019 EP Elections / June 7, 2019

The Kremlin has used massive disinformation efforts, among others, to interfere in democratic processes across the West in the past few years. Consequently, the 2019 EP elections were always treated as potential targets for Russia, which was acknowledged by European institutions well in advance.

Politics

Slovak Pro-Kremlin Media in 2019 EP Election: Fighting against “Dangerous Liberal Europe”

BY Grigorij Meseznikov AND Role of Russia in 2019 EP Elections / June 4, 2019

After the presidential election in March 2019, won by the pro-European candidate Zuzana Čaputová, the designated archenemy of pro-Russian and conspiratorial media, the European elections became the main issue in public and political discourses.

Society

Sputnik CZ: Main Channel of Russian Propaganda in Czech Republic

BY Jonas Syrovatka AND Role of Russia in 2019 EP Elections / June 3, 2019

in March 2019, the editor-in-chief of Sputnik CZ, Sofija Ovanes, presented the work of her website publicly at a meeting in the Russian Center of Science and Culture in Prague. According to Mrs. Ovanes, ten people work in the editorial office of the Czech version of the website, which is based in Moscow.

Society

2019 EP Election: Informational Threats Targeting Poland

BY Adam Lelonek, Michal Marek AND Role of Russia in 2019 EP Elections / May 27, 2019

The following narrative analysis takes into consideration the qualitative analysis of the posts on selected Polish portals that publish content that is Eurosceptic and coherent with Russian propaganda. The monitoring shows that the narratives refer to the current events in Poland and around the world.

Politics

EP Campaign in Hungary: Big, Bad Brussels Versus Plucky Hungarians

BY Role of Russia in 2019 EP Elections / May 25, 2019

The last days of the Hungarian EP election campaign were characterized by an ever-intensifying anti-EU campaign on government-controlled and fringe disinformation portals. The Hungarian government seeks a strong mandate to represent its interest in the European Union

Think Tank News

Report on Russia’s Interference in 2019 EP Elections Now Online

BY Role of Russia in 2019 EP Elections / May 23, 2019

Political Capital and its research partners (Jonas Syrovatka, Adam Lelonek, Grigorij Meseznikov) explored the narratives the Kremlin used to influence public opinion in Europe and, in particular, the Visegrád Group since January 1, 2019.

Politics

Let’s Do It in British Style: Debate about Czexit

BY Jonas Syrovatka, Nikos Stepanek AND Role of Russia in 2019 EP Elections / March 29, 2019

The aim of this article is to explain why Czech media and politicians even raised the possibility of leaving the EU (calling it Czexit), to focus on the debate surrounding this subject, and to try evaluating if or when such a debate might become an issue before the 2019 European Parliamentary elections.

Society

2019 EP-Elections: Information Threats for Poland

BY Adam Lelonek AND Role of Russia in 2019 EP Elections / March 28, 2019

Given the aforementioned factors, it is crucial to ask how much Polish society knows about information security and information threats, which is an important task for journalists, administrative staff, and academia. The messages delivered by Russian propaganda have been consistent over the decades.

Politics

The EU, Russia, Ukraine in Slovak Pro-Russian Media

BY Grigorij Meseznikov AND Role of Russia in 2019 EP Elections / March 25, 2019

In January–March 2019, pro-Russian media in Slovakia continued to spread their typical narratives concerning the European Union and Slovakia’s membership as well as Russia, Ukraine, and the military conflict between them.

Politics

Fidesz and the European Union: Migration, Nothing More

BY Patrik Szicherle AND Role of Russia in 2019 EP Elections / February 25, 2019

713 articles shared on Facebook sites belonging to government-controlled media outlets and pro-Kremlin outlets indicate that the governing party’s EP campaign messages mainly attack the EU elite and the bloc’s institutional system through the dissemination of manipulative information concerning migration.