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Polish-Czech relations and Russian disinformation attempts to disturb them

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Abstract

Disinformation and propaganda activities grew in importance after the Internet, and particularly the social media websites enabling the information to be easily transmitted and shared among users, became the main channels for news and information dissemination. -A well-organised disinformation campaign seems to be a “perfect destruction weapon”. Disinformation efforts also affect international relations – they stir up animosities and cause tensions between countries and form imaginary grounds for negative attitudes towards other nations. -It is in the interest of both Poland and the Czech Republic to maintain relations undisturbed by any disinformation efforts. Participation in the activities of the Visegrad Group and in international alliances alike is a great opportunity for the development of the relations between Poland and the Czech Republic. Combating international threats is also of importance.
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POLISH-CZECH RELATIONS AND
RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION
ATTEMPTS TO DISTURB THEM
Aleksander Ksawery Olech
Sylwia Gliwa!
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21!FEBRUARY!2020!
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Source: http://ine.org.pl/polish-czech-relations-and-russian-disinformation-
attempts-to-disturb-them/ !
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SUMMARY!
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-Disinformation! and! propaganda! activities! grew! in! importance! after! the!
Internet,! and! particularly! the! social! media! websites! enabling! the!
information!to!be!easily!transmitted!and!shared!among!users,!became!the!
main!channels!for!news!and!information!dissemination.!!
-A! well-organised! disinformation! campaign! seems! to!be! a!“perfect!
destruction! weapon”.! Disinformation! efforts! also! affect! international!
relations!!they!stir!up!animosities!and!cause!tensions!between!countries!
and!form!imaginary!grounds!for!negative!attitudes!towards!other!nations.!
-It! is! in! the! interest! of! both! Poland!and! the! Czech! Republic! to!maintain!
relations! undisturbed! by!any! disinformation! efforts.! Participation! in! the!
activities!of!the!Visegrad!Group!and!in!international!alliances!alike!is!a!great!
opportunity!for!the!development!of!the!relations!between!Poland!and!the!
Czech!Republic.!Combating!international!threats!is!also!of!importance.!!!
Disinformation!activities!and!citizens’!perception!
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Russian!disinformation!efforts!are!visible!in!almost!every!country!in!which!
the!Kremlin! sees!the! potential!for! the!expansion!and! advancement!of! its!
interests.! Such! an! activity! not! only! causes! numerous! legal! and!
organisational!problems!as! it! necessitates!the! implementation! of!special!
measures! to!fight! the! negative! narrative,! but! it! also! forces! state!
governments!to!hold!talks!on!the!violation!of!the!fundamental!principles!of!
democracy!and!of! the! ground!rules!on! which! international!relations!are!
based.!Disinformation!activities!are!clearly!visible!and!they!stopped!being!
just!a!topic!of!academic!discussions;!they!have!become!an!element!on!which!
political! reactions! are! focused! and! an! important! matter! for! individual!
governments! and! organisations,! particularly! the! European! Union! and!
NATO.!!
Faced!with! the!disinformation!campaigns!targeted!at!the!Czech! Republic!
and! run! by!the!pro-Kremlin! media! and! the! so-called! troll! farms,! in! the!
“2016!Czech!National!Security!Audit”,!the!Office!of!the!Czech!Government!
stressed!the!importance!of!the!adoption!(or!strengthening)!of!a!conceptual!
approach! to!the! strategic! national! communication,! both! as! regards! the!
domestic! and! international! activities,! and! the! helplessness! of! its! efforts!
taken!to!combat!disinformation!practices.[1]!
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According! to!the! 2019! survey! carried! out! by!the! Slovak! think-tank!
“Globsec”,!the!Czechs!are!less!likely!to!believe!in!conspiracy!theories!than!
their!neighbours,!i.e.!Slovaks,!Hungarians!and!Poles.[2]!On!the!other!hand,!
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as!per!the! OECD!statistics,!young!Czechs!show!no!interest! whatsoever!in!
the!politics,! and!rank!the! second!in! Europe,!after!the!Lithuanians!whose!
interest!in!this!topic!is!the!lowest.!The!younger!generation’s!lack!of!interest!
means! that! the! ones! exposed! to!the! dangers! of! disinformation! are! the!
elderly!persons! engaged!in! the!political! life!of! their!country! and!actively!
searching!for!the!relevant!information!in!that!regard.[3]!From!the!surveys!it!
follows! that! the! citizens! of! the! V4! countries! have! limited! trust! in! the!
mainstream!media,!and!that!only!36%!of!the!Polish!and!46%!of!the!Czech!
citizens! believe! in! their! impartiality.[4]!In! turn,! the! lack! of! trust! in! the!
mainstream!media!means! that!the!citizens!find! it!necessary!to!search!for!
alternative! sources! of! information! –! websites! or! social! media! services!–!
which!have!basically!become!a!hotbed!of!fake!and!deliberately!manipulated!
information.!
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In! its! 2015! annual! report,! the! Czech! Information! Security! Service!
[BEZPEČNOSTNÍ+INFORMAČNÍ+SLUŽBA+ –+ BIS]! advised! of! the! Russian!
disinformation!efforts!and!hybrid!activities!designed!to!disrupt!and!disturb!
the!NATO!and!EU!operations,!and!particularly!the!relations!between!Poland!
and!the!Czech!Republic.[5]!
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Polish!and!Czech!activities!for!mutual!growth!in!the!region!
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According!to!the!official! stance!of!the! Polish!government,!the! Polish! and!
Czech! cooperation! is! more! and! more! fruitful,[6]also! in! the! military! area,!
which! was! stressed! in! the! 2019! agreement! on! the! military! aviation!
cooperation!between!the!two!countries.[7]!At!the!signing!ceremony,!Polish!
Prime!Minister!also!stated!that!in!the!past!20!years,!Poland!and!the!Czech!
Republic!had!proved!to!be!valuable!NATO!members!and!the!Alliance!itself!
–!a!guarantee! of!mutual!security.[8]Undoubtedly,!the!fact!that!Poland!and!
the!Czech! Republic!together!strive!to!ensure!the!top! level!of! the!military!
effectiveness! is! one! of! the! important! elements! of! the! countries’! mutual!
security.! Therefore,! the! maintenance! of! relations! undisturbed! by!any!
disinformation!efforts!is!in!the!interest!of!Poland!and!the!Czech!Republic!
alike.!!
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The!relations!between!Poland!and!Czech!Republic!date!to!more!than!1,000!
years!back.!Nowadays,!they!are!mainly!pursued!as!part!of!the!Visegrad!(V4)!
Group,! which! allows! the! countries! to!maintain! positive,! complex! and!
multidimensional! international! relations.!The!V4! Group! has! become!
a!platform!for!negotiations!on!regional!politics!and!also!for!the!formation!
of! informal! alliances! as! part! of! the! EU! membership.! The! V4! Group! also!
serves! as! a!platform! for! the! discussion! and! agreement! on! the! strategic!
matters! that! affect! geopolitics! and! the! security! of! the! Czech! Republic,!
Poland,!Hungary!and!Slovakia.[9]!
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Nowadays,!many!of!the!foreign!policy!directions!pursued!by!Poland!and!the!
Czech!Republic!seem!to!overlap.!This!is!characterised!by!an!attitude!that!is!
prudent! towards! the! European! Union! and! more! favourable! towards! the!
United!States,!the!country!both!Poland!and!the!Czech!Republic!wish!to!be!
closer!to,!even!at!a!cost!of!loosening!their!ties!with!Brussels.!Building!up!the!
alliance!through!the!military!cooperation!with!the!U.S.!confirms!the!same.!
The!on-going!monitoring!of!the!Russian!influences!is!an!important!element!
of!the!Czech!and!Polish!politics.!The!Kremlin’s!attempts!to!intervene!in!the!
politics!of! the!Central! Europe!countries,!and! thus!to!disturb! order!in! the!
entire!V4!Group,!have!not!been!unnoticed.!Many!of!the!Kremlin’s!innovative!
and! almost! unnoticeable! disinformation! efforts! have! an! actual! adverse!
impact!on!the!shaping!of!the!bilateral!cooperation!between!the!Prague!and!
Warsaw-based!governments,!and!thus!they!pose!a!serious!threat!for!them.!
A!great!opportunity!for!the!development!of!the!relations!between!Poland!
and!the!Czech!Republic,!apart!from!the!membership!in!the!V4!Group,!is!also!
the! membership! in! other! international! organisations! like! the! European!
Union,! NATO,! OECD,! OSCE! or! the! Council! of! Europe,! to!name! a!few.!
Additionally,! maintaining! the! security! of! borders! and! engaging! in!
cooperation! to!combat! international! threats! is! of! key!importance! as!
well.[10]!From!the!very!beginning!of!the!Ukrainian!crisis,!the!Visegrad!Group!
policy!has!been!compliant!with!the!EU!policy,!supportive!of!the!sanctions!
and!of!the!Ukraine’s!territorial!integrity;!nevertheless,!there!are!important!
differences! between! the! policies! adopted! by!the! governments! of! the!
individual!V4!member!states.!Everything!will!depend!on!the!future!actions!
taken!as!part! of! the!V4!Group! membership! and!on!the! actions! aimed!at!
improving!the!bilateral!relations!between!Poland!and!the!Czech!Republic!
and!thus!at!tightening!cooperation!between!the!two!countries.!!
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Polish!and!Czech!historical!experience!and!political!events!as!
disinformation!carriers!
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The! Russian! disinformation! campaign! in! the! EU! has! been! particularly!
designed! to!widen! political! divisions! among! the! nations,! cause! tensions!
that!will!affect!the!relations!within!the!EU,!and!weaken!the!citizens’!trust!in!
NATO.!Disinformation!is!also!used!to!influence!public!sentiments,!citizens’!
attitude!towards!authorities!and!public!institutions,!escalate!civil!conflicts!
and! to!distort! the! perception! of! other! nations! or! immigrants.! The!
disinformation!warfare!waged!by!Russia!against!Poland!covers!many!other!
fields! of! influence,! and! Moscow! has! been! consistently! attacking! those!
policies! pursued! by!Warsaw! that! contradict! the! Russian! interests.[11]!As!
follows! from! the! below! analysis,! the! relations! between! Poland! and! the!
Czech!Republic!are!exposed!to!such!efforts.!It!is!also!worth!stressing!that!
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such!efforts!are!also!carried!out!to!“sow!the!seeds!of!conflict”!between!the!
nations!that!have!previously!cooperated!with!each!other,!and!they!are!also!
an!element!of!the!Russian!foreign!policy!whose!purpose!is!to!persuade!both!
countries!of!the!necessity!to!return!to!the!Russia’s!sphere!of!influence.!
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Numerous!examples!from!the!previous!years,!also!from!the!Czech!Republic,!
show! that! Russia,! on! a!global! scale,! carried! out! disinformation! activities!
to!affect! the! European! elections.! Only! two! of! such! campaigns! brought!
results!satisfactory! to!the! Kremlin!–! the!2017! parliamentary!elections!in!
the! Czech! Republic! and! Brexit.[12]!However,! given! the! variety! of! factors!
affecting!the!elections,!it!is!difficult!to!clearly!determine!the!actual!impact!
of! the! hostile! disinformation! efforts! on! a!given! party’s! or! candidate’s!
election!results.!!!
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The! local! (both! Polish! and! Czech)! branches! of! the! Russian! propaganda!
network,!i.e.!the!Sputnik!news,!play!the!most!important!role!in!the!creation!
of!the!pro-Kremlin!narrative!affecting!the!relations!between!Poland!and!the!
Czech!Republic.! Sputnik!is! the!most! active!news! agency!and! broadcaster!
that!created!a!constellation!of!smaller!Poland-based!websites!that!disclose!
to!a!wider!public!the!news!prepared!by!Sputnik.!One!should!remember!that!
the!Russian!information! strategy!is!based!on!spreading! many,!frequently!
extremely! abstract,! news! to!create! a!“smokescreen”! against! the! actual!
disinformation! purpose.! Thus! released! information! flooding! the! media!
serves! one! purpose! only! –! to!hide! Russia’s! actual! intention! to!disinform!
people! using! a!very! simple! psychological! mechanism.! Bombarded! with!
many!abstract!and!seemingly!false!news,!the!recipient!will!most!likely!deem!
true! that! bit! of! information! which! stands! out! from! the! entire! flood! of!
information!as!the!most!probable,!logical!and!true!one.!And!this!is!what!the!
publishers!of!fake!news!wait!for!and!how!the!purpose!of!the!disinformation!
campaign!is!achieved.!
Sputnik!defines!itself!as!an!information!agency!that!provides!information!
on!global!politics!and!the!economy.!The!Economist!journalist!indicates!that!
this!is!a!kind!of! hybrid!threat!in! the! cyber!war! with! Europe!and!the! US,!
which! combines! elements! of! radio-electronic! intelligence! with! the!
information! war.[13]!According! to!US! experts,! Russia! and! China! are! the!
biggest! threat! in! cyberspace.[14]!The! Russian! Federation! is! recognized!
by!most!European!countries!as!the!greatest!danger!in!the!network,!in!the!
context! of! disinformation! (including! Poland[15],! Finland[16]).! Experts! also!
recognized!it!as! a!threat! to!the!eastern!flank! of! NATO!and!the! EU! in!the!
context!of!cyberwar.[17]!
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It!is!worth!mentioning!that!the!information!prepared!and!published!by!the!
Polish! Sputnik! branch! in! fact! comes,! to!a!lesser! or! greater! extent,! from!
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other!websites,!which! may!be!referred! to!as!“satellites”.! This! is!the! very!
constellation!of!frequently! far-right! websites! that!is!used! to!disclose! the!
news! to!a!wider! public.! The! information! published! on! such!websites! is!
based! on! facts,! but! the! facts! are! conveniently! altered! to!give! them!
a!different! meaning! or! sense,! or! they! are! supported! with! a!negative!
narrative!which!violates!the!journalists!code!of!conduct.!Such!websites!may!
also! publish! news! based! on! the! writers! subjective! opinions,! tweets! or!
unverified!sources.!Given!catchy!and!shocking!titles!which!frequently!use!
simple!and!non-journalistic!language!and!contain!populist!opinions,!such!
news!appeal!to!radical!recipients,!who!want!to!be!shocked!by!the!content!
they!read.!!
The! attempt! to!discredit! in! the! eyes! of! the! Polish! recipients! the! anti-
government!protests!held!in!Prague!in!June!2019!is!an!interesting!example!
of! the! Russian! disinformation! efforts.! The! events! considered! to!be! the!
biggest! protest! since! the!1989! Velvet! Revolution! were! presented! by!the!
Sputnik! reporter! as! a!“cultural! event”,! not! a!display! of! anger! among! the!
general!public.! To!support! such!a!statement,! the! reporter!referred! to!the!
fact!that!there!were!many!children!among!the!protesters!and!that!tourist!
coaches!could!be! seen!in!the!neighbouring!area.!According!to!the!author,!
the! protesters! were! thus! “tourists”! instructed! to!join! the!
demonstration.[18]!!The! short! publication! presenting! a!biased! assessment!
of!the!facts!and!events!was!released!with!the!purpose!of!discrediting!in!the!
eyes!of!the!Polish!recipients!the!entire!protest,!and!to!cast!a!shadow!over!
the!legitimacy!of!the!demonstration!against!the!government.!!
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Another! opportunity! to!worsen! the! relations! between! Poland! and! the!
Czech! Republic! arose! when! the! Czechs! introduced! additional! border!
controls!for!the!meat!imported!from!Poland.!These!measures!were!taken!
after! the! discovery! of! salmonella! in! some! consignments! but! the! Polish!
commentators!found!the!Czech!government!overcautious,!which!sparked!
the! political! dispute.! It! is! not! surprising! that! the! pro-Kremlin! websites!
decided! to!use! this! conflict! to!their! advantage.!Once! the! illegal! abattoirs!
were!also!found!to!be!operating!in!the!territory!of!the!Czech!Republic,!the!
pro-Kremlin!websites!tried!to!bias!the!Polish!public!opinion!and!to!turn!it!
against!Czechs.! To!stir!up! the!conflict! between!the! two!V4! members,!the!
nationalistic! website! “Niezależny! Dziennik! Polityczny”! [Independent!
Political!Daily]!published!an!article!containing!extremely!populist!opinions!
about!“karma!catching!up!with!Poland’s!neighbours!and!punishing!them!for!
their!disgusting!politics”.[19]!
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The!narrative!of!the!Russian!propaganda!used!in!an!attempt!to!change!the!
recipients’! opinions! most! frequently! refers! to!historical! events! and! past!
experiences.!In!the!case!of!Poland,!this!narrative!has!not!changed!over!the!
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years! –! the! Russian! propaganda! keeps! on! glorifying! the! Russian!
engagement!in!WWII!and!the!cold!war!events,!by!popularising!alternative!
historical!facts!so!as!to!change!the!general!public’s!opinion!and!perception!
of! Russia.! In! the! alternative! historical! facts,! Russia! is!presented! as!
a!defender!not!aggressor,!and!Poland!as!a!country!ruled!by!an!incompetent!
anti-Russian!government! and!responsible! for!the! outbreak!of!WWII.!The!
use! of! neuralgic! historical! facts! to!cause! tension! between! nations! is! not!
a!new!practice.! The!Russian! propaganda!is! widespread!across! the!Polish!
media! channels! and! carries! out! different! attacks! on! e.g.! the! Ukrainians,!
Israeli!and!Germans.!Therefore,!the!attempts!to!present!a!different!vision!
of!history,!as!in!the!case!of!the!1968!events,!which!have!been!used!to!cause!
tensions! between! Poland! and! the! Czech! Republic! on! the! grounds! of!
distressing! historical! facts,! and! thus! to!adversely! affect! the! relations!
between!the!two!countries,!are!not!surprising.!An!intriguing!article!about!
the! Polish! military! presence! in! Czechoslovakia! can! be! used! here! as! an!
example.! The! author’s! intention! was! to!prove! that! the! Polish! military!
intervention! in! Czechoslovakia! was! necessary,! given! the! highly! likely!
aggression! from! the! Federal! Republic! of! Germany! which,! as! the! author!
indicates,! wanted! to!seize! nearly! one-third! of! the! Polish! territory.!
According! to!the! author,! such! intervention! of! the! army! of! the! Polish!
People’s! Republic! was! intended! to!prevent! such! annexation.! The! article!
used!as!an!example!is!even!more!interesting!as!it!abstains!from!any!catchy!
phrases,!has!the!features!of!a!quite!well-written!analytic!publication,!and!is!
referenced!to!respectable!political!and!historical!authors.!Nevertheless,!it!
does!contain!a!standard!element!of!a!pro-Kremlin!disinformation!campaign!
–!it!names!the!main! past!and!present! enemy,!i.e.!NATO,!which!according!
to!the! author,! together! with! the! United! States,! supported! the! Federal!
Republic! of! Germany! in! its! annexation! plans,! and! in! that! way! attempts!
to!weaken!the!trust!in!NATO!and!worsen!the!relations!with!the!U.S.,!given!
the!latter’s!military!presence!in!Poland.!This!is!a!standard!disinformation!
element! used! by!the! Russian! propaganda! across! the! Polish! media!
channels.[20]!The! article! was! published! on! two! different! extremely!
conservative! and! nationalistic! websites.! However,! after! a!quick! source!
check,!it!became!apparent!that!the!article’s!author!also!writes!for!the!Polish!
Sputnik!branch.!!!
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Another! example! of! the! falsification! of! history! aimed! at! worsening! the!
relations!between!Poland!and!the!Czech!Republic!is!the!manipulation!of!the!
historical!facts!relating!to!the!MolotovRibbentrop!Pact!and!its!impact!on!
the!outbreak!of!war.!The!narrative!presented!in!an!article!published!on!the!
Polish!Sputnik!website!stresses!the!alleged!anti-Russian!sentiment!of!the!
Polish! Chief! of! State! –! Józef! Piłsudski,! on! whom! the! author! blames! the!
general!“sovietophobia!and!Russophobia”!spreading!across!Europe!at!that!
time.!As!a!result!of!some!wrong!decisions!made!by!the!Polish!Chief!of!State,!
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the!Treaty! of!Non-Aggression! between!Germany! and!the! Union!of! Soviet!
Socialist!Republics!was!signed!and,!according!to!the!pro-Kremlin!narrative,!
Poland!took!the!side!of!Nazi!Germany!to!prevent!the!Soviet!attempt!to!build!
a!collective! security! system! in! Europe.! The! narrative! falsely! states! that!
since! 1934! the! Poles! had! been! trying! to!cause! disturbance! in!
Czechoslovakia! with! reference! to!the! Czech! Cieszyn! district! (the! actions!
to!recapture! the! territory! considered! to!be! the! Polish! land! were! in! fact!
taken! no! earlier! than! in! 1938).! According! to!this! narrative,! Poland! was!
to!threaten! Czechoslovakia! that! in! the! case! of! a!Soviet! support! given!
to!Czechoslovakia! in! the! event! of! a!Nazi! Germany! attack,! it! would! take!
a!military!action.!The!creation!of!a!narrative!referred!to!as!“the!Polish!role!
in!the!English!and!French!betrayal!of!Czechoslovakia”!is!one!of!the!elements!
of!using!historical!disputes!for!the!purpose!of!causing!present-day!political!
tensions,!as!well!as!–!and!most!importantly!–!tensions!regarding!the!social!
perception!of!past!conflicts.[21]!
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As!for! the!impact!on! the!history,! the!narrative!present! in!the! traditional!
media! should! be! highlighted.! In! the! Russian! daytime! political! talk!
show!VREMYA+POKAZHET![Time!Will!Tell],!the!host!–!Petr!Tolstoy!–!stated!
that!Russia!lost!Poland,!Czech!Republic!and!Hungary,!while!the!historical!
truth!is!that!the!said!countries,!even!though!they!were!located!in!Russia’s!
sphere! of! influence,! were! never! part! of! the! Union! of! Soviet! Socialist!
Republics.[22]!Such! messages! present! the! mindset! of! the! contemporary!
Kremlin!government!to!which!the!collapse!of!the!Eastern!Bloc!was!a!tragic!
and!shameful!event.!That!is!why!the!contemporary!Russian!politics,!also!as!
presented! in! the! pro-Kremlin! media,! postulates! the! restoration! of! the!
Russian!influence!in!the!region.!
Noteworthy! is! the! misinformation! about! post-Soviet! states! (including!
Poland)!relative! to!the!West!(including!the!Czech! Republic).!The!Russian!
opinion!indicated!that!the!eastern!policy!of!the!European!Union!and!NATO,!
in! fact,! promotes! dishonest! work,! disintegration,! and! tensions! in!
connection!with!the!situation!in!Ukraine!and!the!entire!region!of!Russian!
civilization.! International! organizations! support! neofascist! in! the! Baltic!
States! and! the! anti-Russian! regime! in! Moldova! and! Georgia.! This! also!
applies!to!disinformation!on!the!part!of!Western!states!and!the!US,!which!
are!against!the!integration!of!the!Russian!Federation!and!Belarus.[23]!
!
The!observation!of!the!media! presentation!of!different!countries!has! one!
very!important!aspect!–!the!images!created!in!the!foreign!media!may!often!
become! a!reflection! of! a!country’s! own! problems,! and! they! may! help! in!
noticing!certain!details!which!from!the!country’s!own!national!perspective!
are!not!visible.!This!is!also!the!case!of!the!PolishCzech!cooperation!and!the!
possible!Russian!influences.!The!Polish!perception!of!the!Czechs!is!essential!
to!build!relations!and!strengthen!mutual!interests!in!the!region.!According!
!
!
INSTYTUT!NOWEJ!EUROPY!|!www.ine.org.pl!|!kontakt@ine.org.pl!
to!the!2011!report!by!the!Polish!Centre!for!Public!Opinion!Research,!51%!
of!Poles!like!the!Czech!the!most.[24]!Additionally,!according!to!the!research!
from! 2012-2015,! Poles! have! the! greatest! sympathy! for! the! Czech!
nation.[25]!!Therefore,!reference!to!verified!sources!that!help!in!the! actual!
maintenance!of!good! relations! is! of!key!importance,! even! at! the!time!of!
widespread!disinformation.!
!
The!Polish!media!may!also!serve!as!the!buffer!of!frustration!and!anger!of!
certain!Czech!journalists,!politicians!or!researchers.!In!some!joint!Polish
Czech! matters,! the! foreign! media! actually! play! a!role!of! an! advocate! or!
arbitrator.! The! foreign! coverage! of! a!given! country’s! problems! or!
irregularities!serves!the!purpose!of!attracting!international!attention!and!
thus!exerting!influence!on!the!rulers.!Foreign!coverage!of!a!certain!national!
issue! or! mistake! enables! it!to!be!analysed! from! a!wider!perspective!and!
addressed!from!the!perspective!of!a!foreign!entity!(e.g.!Poland).!However,!
the! problem! emerges! when! a!third! party! unrelated! to!the! actual! issue!
describes!it!as!it!pleases,!with!a!view!of!deriving!as!many!benefits!for!itself!
as!possible!(like!the!Sputnik!does!in!Poland).!
Attempts! are! being! made! to!influence! the! foreign! policy! of! the! Czech!
Republic! in! the! context! of! the! activities! undertaken! by!the! Republic! of!
Poland.!It!was!written!that!the!Czech!Minister!of!Defense,!Lubomir!Metnar,!
did!not!rule!out!the!possibility!of!talks!with!NATO!regarding!the!possible!
deployment! of! new! military! bases! in! the! Czech! Republic,! as! Poland! did,!
titling!the!text:!„The!Czech!Republic!will!deploy!an!American!base!on!the!
Polish!model.”!This!is!misleading!and!manipulates!the!reception! through!
the!header.! In!fact,!the!minister!pointed! out!that! such!a!discussion! could!
take! place! regarding! the! deployment! of! the! missile! defence! system! or!
missiles!in!the!Czech!Republic[26].!
!
It!is!worth!mentioning!that!as!a!guard!of!the!eastern!border!of!the!European!
Union! and! one! of! the! biggest! countries! in! the! eastern! bloc,! with! the!
concurrent!very! strong!anti-Russian!popular!sentiment,!Poland!is!one!of!
the!main!targets!of!the!Russian!propaganda!in!Central!and!Eastern!Europe.!
The!PolishCzech!animosities!have!so!far!been!present!in!individual!cases!
and! they! are! not! that! visible! as! the! PolishUkrainian! ones,! for! example.!
Nevertheless,!it!should!be!in!the!interest!of!both!countries!that!any!display!
of!disinformation!be!constantly!monitored!and!the!untrue!information!be!
rectified!and!communicated!on!an!on-going!basis.!!At!the!same!time,!it! is!
worth! stressing! that! despite! numerous! EU! and! social! initiatives! for! the!
identification! and! publication! of! any! instances! of! disinformation,! Polish!
authorities! have! not! yet! adopted! such! a!comprehensive! approach!
to!combating! disinformation! as! the! Czech! government,! and! established!
a!separate!agency!to!deal!with!this!threat.!!!
!
!
INSTYTUT!NOWEJ!EUROPY!|!www.ine.org.pl!|!kontakt@ine.org.pl!
In! the! modern! information! society! in! which! the! citizens! are! regularly!
bombarded! with! large! amounts! of! information! and! have! no! possibility!
to!verify!each!and!every!piece!of!information!they!receive,!a!well-organised!
disinformation! campaign! seems! to!be! almost! a!“perfect! destruction!
weapon”.! Disinformation! and! propaganda! activities! grew! in! importance!
after!the!Internet,!and!particularly!the!social!media!websites!enabling!the!
information!to!be!easily!transmitted!and!shared,!became!the!main!channels!
for! news! and! information! dissemination.! Unfortunately,! social! media!
websites! have! also! contributed! to!the! increased! susceptibility! of! the!
readers!to!absorb!manipulated!contents,!and!to!the!radicalisation!of!beliefs.!
As! numerous! Polish!and! foreign! examples! in! the! Baltic! region! show,!
disinformation!campaigns!also!employ!hackers!who,!by!breaking!into!the!
local! news! websites! and! publishing! manipulated! information,! try!
to!adversely!affect! the!local!communities,!and!thus!to!stir!up! animosities!
and!prejudices!towards!neighbouring!nations.!!
Disinformation!undermines!the!democratic!principles!and!citizens’!trust!in!
public!institutions,!authorities!and!the!media.!An!article!published!in!the!
press,!an!online!meme!or!an!opinion-shaping!post!on!the!internet!or!in!the!
social!media!may!affect!the!democratic!processes!and!the!society,!and,!in!
the! long! run,! it! may! also! cause! tensions! between! nations! and! affect! the!
political! relations! between! countries.! It! is! worth! remembering! that!
disinformation! is! a!long,! complicated! and! comprehensive! process! aimed!
mainly! at! confusing! the! society! and! causing! chaos,! which! gives! rise!
to!political!and!economic!problems,!and!also!affects!the!country’s!general!
security.!Disinformation!used! by!a!third!country!as!a!weapon! helps!affect!
election!results!and! political!decisions!or! cause!chaos!in! the!society,!the!
latter! of! which! is! a!strategy! aimed! at! weakening! and! destabilising! the!
political!system,!which!in!turn!may!lead!to!the!citizens’!exerting!influence!
on! public! authorities.! Importantly,! disinformation! efforts! also! affect!
international! relations! –! they! stir! up! animosities! and! cause! tensions!
between!countries,!and!are!responsible!for!the!creation!of!mutual!alliances.!!
The!theses!presented!in!this!Article!are!supported!by!Ms.!Marta!Kowalska!
from!the!Center!for!Propaganda!and!Disinformation!Analysis!(CAPD)[27].!
!
!
It!is!also!essential!to!point!out!the!European!Union’s!commitment!
to!fighting!disinformation.!The!Action!Plan!against!disinformation!
initiative!was!created!in!December!2018!as!a!part!of!the!European!Rapid!
Alert!System!cooperation!network.!It!proposed!a!set!of!actions!that!should!
enable!a!joint!and!coordinated!EU!approach!to!tackling!disinformation.!
This!is!based!on!four!pillars:!improving!the!Union!institutions’!ability!
to!detect,!analyze!and!disclose!disinformation,!constant!and!coordinated!
!
!
INSTYTUT!NOWEJ!EUROPY!|!www.ine.org.pl!|!kontakt@ine.org.pl!
cooperation!between!Member!States!in!combating!disinformation,!
mobilizing!the!private!sector!to!fight!disinformation,!and!raising!public!
awareness!about!disinformation.!Then!in!January!2019,!the!Code!of!
Practice!on!Disinformation!was!signed.!Code!signatories,!including!Poland!
and!the!Czech!Republic,!have!committed!to!tackling!disinformation!on!the!
Internet.!
Recommendations!
!
As! it! has! been! stressed! above,! disinformation! is! a!very! strong! tool! that!
influences! citizens’! awareness! and! social! sentiment,! and! changes! social!
attitudes.!It!not!only!causes!social!tensions,!both!within!society!and!among!
nations,!but!also!makes!citizens!feel!less!safe,!and!undermines!their!trust!in!
public!authorities!and!institutions,!which!in!turn!affects!public!security!and!
order.! Given! the! nature! of!the! threat,! the! focus! should! be! on! the!
development! of! an! effective! mechanism! to!mitigate! the! results! of! the!
publication!of!fake!news.!!
The! first,! and! at! the! same! time! the! basic,! element! of! such! a!system! is!
education!on!the!safe!Internet!use.!This!involves!teaching!critical!thinking,!
developing! practical! skills! as! regards! the! analysis! of! the! information!
published!by!the!media! (also! social!media)!and! the! verification!whether!
such! news! are! based! on! facts.! Such! actions! are! possible,! only! if! proper!
behaviours!are!instilled! at!early!childhood.! A!child! well-educated!in! that!
regard!will!likely!grow!into!an!adult!fully!aware!of!their!role!as!a!citizen.!
For! it! to!be! possible,! we!first! must! design! relevant! training! courses! and!
train!persons!responsible!for!the!development!and!education!of!children.!
Moreover,! politicians! and! journalists,! who! may! have! problems!
understanding!and!using!certain!pieces!of!information!for!own!purposes,!
should!be!made!aware!of!such!dangers!as!well.!
Tightening!cooperation!within!the!European!Union,!both!at!the! legal!and!
organisational!level,!is!also!necessary.!The!continuation!of!the!work!on!the!
early!warning!system! for! fake!news,! also!as!part! of!the! Code!of!Practice!
Against! Disinformation,! is! a!good! solution.! This! will! encourage! stronger!
cooperation!with!the!social!media!services!and!tech!tycoons!on!fake!news!
identification! and! deletion.! Political! pressures! as! well! as! the! so-called!
negative! PR! that! emerged! when! the! social! media! services! started! being!
used!for! disinformation!purposes,!led!to!the!implementation! of!solutions!
to!identify,! mark! and! delete! fake! and! misleading! news.! The! use! of!
innovative! technologies! such! as! AI-based! algorithms! that! will! identify!
synthetic!and!manipulated!news!is!an!important!element!of!such!solutions.!!
!
!
INSTYTUT!NOWEJ!EUROPY!|!www.ine.org.pl!|!kontakt@ine.org.pl!
Another!recommendation! that!should! be!followed! both!at! the!state!level!
and!throughout!the!entire!European!Union!concerns!the!intensification!of!
cooperation! for! the! retention! of! fact! checkers.! Such! efforts! should! be!
focused! on! increasing! funding! for! this! type! of! organisations! and! on!
facilitating!cooperation!with!experts!and!the!media.!
To!sum!up,!an!effective!system!to!counter!disinformation!should!be!based!
on! the! reform! of! the! children! and! teenage! education,! which! should! be!
focused!on!developing!resistance!of!a!unit,!on!which!the!system!is!based.!
Education! should! be! also! provided! to!those,! who! may! be! subject!
to!disinformation! on! an! everyday! basis.! On! the! other! hand,! the!
development!of!mechanisms!for!the!identification!and!deletion!of!synthetic!
or! manipulated! contents! should! be! based! on! cooperation! between! the!
media,!fact!checkers,!civil!society,!and!academic!scientists!and!experts.!
Sources:!
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http://ross-bel.ru/about/news_post/lev-krishtapovich-soyuznoe-
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[1]!Ministerstvo!vnitra!České!republiky,!NATIONAL+SECURITY+
AUDIT,+Prague!2016,!pp.!4,!59,!73.!!
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VISEGRAD+INSIGHTS,!https://www.iri.org/resource/iri-expert-tackles-
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Poland],!SPOTKANIE+PREMIERÓW+POLSKI+
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i-czech,!access:!04/02/2020.!
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Poland],!WSPÓŁPRACA+WOJSKOWA+Z+POŁUDNIOWYM+
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BEZPIECZEŃSTWO,https://www.gov.pl/web/obrona-
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!
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INSTYTUT!NOWEJ!EUROPY!|!www.ine.org.pl!|!kontakt@ine.org.pl!
[10]As!in!the!case!of!the!arrest!of!the!terrorist!Mourad!T.:!
P.!Drabek,!PROCES+OSKARŻONEGO+O+WSPÓŁPRACĘ+Z+ISIS+
W+KATOWICACH.+MAROKAŃCZYK+MOURAD+T.+PRZYZNAŁ+SIĘ+
DO+FAŁSZYWEJ+DATY+URODZIN+
I+DO+NARKOTYKÓW,+https://dziennikzachodni.pl/proces-oskarzonego-o-
wspolprace-z-isis-w-katowicach-marokanczyk-mourad-t-przyznal-sie-do-
falszywej-daty-urodzin-i-do-narkotykow/ar/13060380,!access:!
31/01/2020.!
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DISINFORMATION+ATTACK+ON+
POLAND,+https://www.stopfake.org/en/stanislaw-zaryn-a-hidden-
agenda-behind-putin-s-disinformation-attack-on-poland,!access:!
04/02/2020.!
[12]!Report:!“Hostile!Social!Manipulation!Present!Realities!and!Emerging!
Trends”.!
[13]!CyberDefence24,!EDWARD+LUCAS+DLA+CYBERDEFENCE24.PL:+
INFORMACYJNO-HAKERSKA+OFENSYWA+
ROSJI,!https://www.cyberdefence24.pl/edward-lucas-dla-
cyberdefence24pl-informacyjno-hakerska-ofensywa-rosji,!access:!
02.02.2020.!
[14]!P.!Zengerle,!CIA+SAYS+CHINA,+RUSSIA+POSE+BIGGEST+CYBER+ATTACK+
THREATS+TO+U.S.,!Insurance!Journal,!30.01.2019.!e.!Parsons,!M.!
Raff,!UNDERSTANDING+THE+CYBER+THREAT+FROM+RUSSIA,!
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!
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Sfinansowano+przez+Narodowy+Instytut+Wolności+–+Centrum+Rozwoju+
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Obywatelskich+na+lata+2018-2030.
!
!
AUTHORS(
Aleksander!Ksawery!Olech!
Institute!of!New!Europe!
Contact:!!akolech@wp.pl!
!
(
(
Sylwia!Gliwa!!
CyberDerence24.pl!
Contact:!sylwiagliwa@gmail.com!!!
!
... Russia's information activities often drop a lot of very abstract information into the information space, which constitutes a "smokescreen" for a real disinformation target. The information stream is being released into the media space to disguise the true purpose of disinformation (Gliwa & Olech, 2020). ...
... These portals create news based on subjective opinions or unverified sources. Often, using simple and non-journalistic language and through populist slogans, they achieve the support of more radical and shocking recipients (Gliwa & Olech, 2020). ...
... Trends, in 2017, the parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic ended with a successful result for Russia (Gliwa & Olech, 2020). Disinformation has played a key role during the Czech parliamentary elections. ...
... Russia's information activities often drop a lot of very abstract information into the information space, which constitutes a "smokescreen" for a real disinformation target. The information stream is being released into the media space to disguise the true purpose of disinformation (Gliwa & Olech, 2020). ...
... These portals create news based on subjective opinions or unverified sources. Often, using simple and non-journalistic language and through populist slogans, they achieve the support of more radical and shocking recipients (Gliwa & Olech, 2020). ...
... Trends, in 2017, the parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic ended with a successful result for Russia (Gliwa & Olech, 2020). Disinformation has played a key role during the Czech parliamentary elections. ...
Article
Full-text available
After the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine and Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, the Czech Republic became fully aware of the threats posed by the Kremlin despite President Zeman has denied the presence of Russian troops in Ukraine and has criticised the EU sanctions against Russia. Czechia belongs to the group of countries through which Russia influences the EU, to gradually and deliberately erode its structures. Russia exerts a strong influence on the Czech Republic by non-military means, including disinformation and propaganda, the activities of secret services, and penetration of its economy and specifically its energy sector. The article aims to answer the question about the role of Russian disinformation and propaganda in the context of Russian influence in the Czech Republic. The role of Russian disinformation and propaganda and how Russia influences Czechia is extensively analysed. The main hypothesis is that Russia treats the Czech Republic as a key state for espionage and disinformation activities and as a zone of influence, undermining the sovereignty of the Czech Republic and the role of NATO and the EU.
Article
Full-text available
Wyzwania w obszarze dezinformacji nie są dla Polski i Ukrainy nowym zjawiskiem, jednak intensyfikacja stosunków obu państw związana z wybuchem wojny w Ukrainie spowodowała ich zdecydowane nasilenie. Celem artykułu jest analiza rosyjskich działań dezinformacyjnych od wybuchu wojny, które zostały wymierzone w polsko-ukraińskie relacje. W pracy postawiono następujące pytanie badawcze: Jak zmienia się dezinformacja rosyjska uderzająca w relacje polsko-ukraińskie po wybuchu wojny w lutym 2022? W oparciu o przeprowadzoną kwerendę naukową, analizując dostępną literaturę i opracowania internetowe, a także wykorzystując dotychczas realizowane scenariusze przez rosyjską propagandę, przyjęto następującą hipotezę: Rosyjskie działania o charakterze dezinformacyjnym szkodzące polsko-ukraińskim relacjom będą postępować wraz z zacieśniającą się współpracą polityczną i migracją z Europy Wschodniej na zachód kontynentu. Artykuł przedstawia przykłady i analizę antyukraińskich narracji dezinformacyjnych, które zyskały dużą popularność od 24 lutego 2022 roku. W związku z dynamiczną sytuacją międzynarodową ilość informacji pojawiających się w przestrzeni publicznej utrudnia ich kontrolę i weryfikację. Zacieśniające się relacje polsko-ukraińskie są istotnym wyzwaniem dla rosyjskich dezinformatorów, którzy do swoich celów będą wykorzystywać kolejne przykłady współpracy i solidarności obu państw. Wśród popularnych motywów dezinformacji wyróżniono historyczne resentymenty, które w szczególności odwołują się do rzezi wołyńskiej. Celem pracy jest określenie narracji, które uderzają w stosunki polsko-ukraińskie, zwłaszcza w ostatnich miesiącach. Badania realizowano przez prawie rok, od początku rosyjskiej inwazji na Ukrainę. Autorzy analizowali przede wszystkim opracowania naukowe, także te historyczne, doniesienia prasowe, raporty i wpisy w mediach społecznościowych. Dotychczas tylko w ograniczonym zakresie badano działania rosyjskiej dezinformacji, która ma negatywny wpływ na współpracę Polski z innymi państwami. W związku z powyższym, kluczowe jest, aby na bieżąco weryfikować pojawiające się wyzwania, a artykuł wskazuje również na nowe trendy w rosyjskiej dezinformacji, która zaczęła zawierać w sobie element prewencyjny, odnoszący się do prowadzenia kampanii przeciwko Polakom solidaryzującym się z Ukrainą.
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