The information battle: How governments in the former Soviet Union promote their agendas and attack opponents abroad The information battle: How governments in the former Soviet Union promote their agendas and attack their opponents abroad The information battle: The information battle examines the ways in which the governments of former Soviet How governments in the former Soviet Union promote Union (FSU) countries look to shape international narratives about themselves by their agendas and attack their opponents abroad using media, social media, advertising and supportive organisations to promote their worldview and exert pressure on the people, institutions and ideas that oppose them. The essay collection looks at the impact of this influence both within the region and increasingly across the world. The publication contains contributions by: Natalia Antelava, Coda Story; Ana Dvali and Revaz Koiava, Caucasian House; Arzu Geybulla; Richard Giragosian, Regional Studies Center; Melissa Hooper, Human Rights First; Adam Hug (ed.), Foreign Policy Centre; Rasto Kuzel, Memo 98; Dr David Lewis, University of Exeter; Ben Nimmo, Atlantic Council; and Dr Justin Schlosberg, Birkbeck, University of London. This publication is the fourth in a series entitled Exporting Repression supported by the Open Society Foundations. The Foreign Policy Centre (FPC) Unit 1.9, First Floor, The Foundry 17 Oval Way, Vauxhall London, SE11 5RR www.fpc.org.uk [email protected] © Foreign Policy Centre 2017 All rights reserved ISBN 978-1-905833-33-7 ISBN 1-905833-33-4 The Foreign Policy Centre £7.95 Edited by Adam Hug The information battle: How governments in the former Soviet Union promote their agendas & attack their opponents abroad Edited by Adam Hug First published in March 2017 by The Foreign Policy Centre (FPC) Unit 1.9, First Floor, The Foundry 17 Oval Way, Vauxhall London, SE11 5RR www.fpc.org.uk [email protected] © Foreign Policy Centre 2017 All rights reserved ISBN 978-1-905833-33-7 ISBN 1-905833-33-4 Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors alone and do not represent the views of The Foreign Policy Centre or the Open Society Foundations. Printing by Intype Libra Cover art by Copyprint This project is kindly supported by the Open Society Foundations 1 Acknowledgements The editor would like to thank all the authors who have kindly contributed to this collection and provided invaluable support in developing the project. In addition the editor is very grateful for the advice and guidance of a number of different experts including: Ellie Haworth, Professor Sarah Ann Oates, Rita Rudusa, Karolina Sitek and Florian Toepfl. He would like to thank colleagues at the Open Society Foundations for all their help and support without which this project would not have been possible, most notably Michael Hall, Viorel Ursu, Pierre-Olivier Bigo and Eleanor Kelly. As always he is indebted to the support of his colleagues at the Foreign Policy Centre, in particular Anna Owen and Deniz Ugur. About the Foreign Policy Centre The Foreign Policy Centre is a UK-based, independent, progressive foreign affairs think tank. Through events, publications and analysis, the Centre aims to develop policy ideas and inclusive partnerships that promote a fairer world. The Centre has two Co-Presidents representing the UK's major political parties: Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, former Secretary of State for Education and Justice Baroness Margaret Jay of Paddington, former leader of the House of Lords The Centre was launched in 1998 and founded by the then Foreign Secretary, the late Rt Hon Robin Cook. The Foreign Policy Centre talks in a language people understand. We seek to engage with all people who are interested in foreign policy, whether from political life, the media, the private sector, voluntary organisations, students or the general public. 2 Executive summary The information battle examines the ways in which the governments of former Soviet Union (FSU) look to shape international narratives about themselves by using media, social media, advertising and supportive organisations to promote their worldview and challenge the people, institutions and ideas that oppose them. This publication examines the influence of Russian media content in the former Soviet Union and in the wider world. This is delivered through the impact of Russian domestic TV channels reaching Russian speaking audiences in the region, the developing role of the news agency Sputnik and the international broadcaster RT. It examines how these outlets are used not only to promote Russian political narratives but to challenge Western approaches and sow confusion about what is going on in the world. It offers ideas for how independent broadcasters and international outlets can provide effective alternatives. Despite cracking down on Western backed NGOs at home, the governments of the former Soviet Union are seeking to directly influence the European and US political debate through NGOs, think tanks and lobbying organisations. This publication looks at how to improve the transparency and accountability of such actions. Repressive regimes that use advertising and the hosting of international events to promote themselves, are increasingly being challenged by human rights defenders through the publicity such activities bring. The publication argues that, in what is increasingly becoming a battle involving the use of soft power and information, Western institutions have been losing ground and must take action in order to meet the challenge. Recommendations To the donor and NGO community Fund the creation of new, independent Russian and local language news content, news coordination and dissemination Provide increased funding for independent consortiums of investigative journalists Support in depth independent survey work in the countries of the former Soviet Union to assess the audience reach of both domestic and Russian media outlets Facilitate non-partisan support of Parliamentary engagement on issues relating to the former Soviet Union, including country visits To Western governments and regulators Track the spread of misleading and untrue content emanating from Russian sources, working with civil society to rebut it where appropriate Actively monitor online threats to Western based critics of regimes in the former Soviet Union Strengthen lobbying registry requirements, including looking to expand the scope of the UK’s statutory register and delivering the proposed formal EU lobbying register Re-examine the governance structures of the US Broadcasting Board of Governors To international broadcasters Expand the range of voices asked to provided comment on Western networks Collaborate with independent partners in the post-Soviet space to develop content 3 Contents Executive summary 3 Introduction: A battle for hearts and minds Adam Hug 5 What our authors say 12 How many people watch Russian media in the former Soviet Union countries? Rasťo Kužel 14 How (not to) cover lies: Lessons of Russian disinformation Natalia Antelava 17 In search of credibility: RT and the BBC in a ‘post-truth’ world Dr Justin Schlosberg 21 Failures and adaptations: Kremlin propaganda in Finland and Sweden Ben Nimmo 25 Dictators of discourse: Eurasian autocracies and the international battle of ideas David Lewis 30 The non-governmental sector: Pro-Russia tools masquerading as independent voices Melissa Hooper 34 Georgia’s international promotion during the United National Movement and Georgian Dream eras Ana Dvali and Revaz Koiava 42 How governments in the former Soviet Union promote their agendas and attack their opponents abroad Arzu Geybulla 45 Armenia’s diaspora: Helpful advantage or harmful adversary? Richard Giragosian 50 Conclusion: Winning the battle of ideas Adam Hug 54 Recommendations 58 4 Introduction: A battle for hearts and minds Adam Hug1 Events can move a debate quickly. When initially developing the idea for this essay collection in the summer of 20142, it was clear that the role of media and social media activity originating from the former Soviet Union (FSU) and the links between lobbyists and regimes from the region were issues of growing importance. However it would have been difficult to predict the extent to which much of this debate would become part of mainstream political discourse. The 2016 US Presidential Election saw allegations of Russian government directed hacking and the use of social media to influence political debate; the now ubiquitous term ‘fake news’ bandied about to encompass everything from state directed propaganda, to poor journalism or just stories that one disagrees with; and the rise of anti-establishment forces across Europe and the United States who are gaining ground both in the political debate and at the ballot box, who find common cause with political forces in Russia, all make now an important time to address these issues. Countries in the post-Soviet space using soft power tools to influence the agenda beyond their borders is not a new phenomenon, and the flow of ideas and information is very clearly not one-way traffic with Western countries using these tools in the FSU for decades. This publication examines the ways in which the governments of FSU countries look to shape international narratives about themselves by using media, social media, advertising and supportive organisations to promote their worldview and challenge the people, institutions and ideas that oppose them. In recent years, governments from the region have sought to influence international