Occupying The Information Space

“Nobody Asked Thou Occupation”, a protest sign says in an image. If you just have a quick look, it is hard to see where and when this photo was taken.

So it was a convenient way for the pro-Kremlin propagandists to illustrate articles about Norwegians allegedly protesting against a recent NATO exercise. The image illustrated stories in Georgian and Russian outlets in November.

But if you zoom in and pay attention to the tiny advertisement in the background, you will see three words in Polish: złoto, srebro, brylanty: Gold, silver, diamonds.

Myth Detector’s fact-checking and a Google reverse image search show that the same photograph was in fact taken in Poland already in 2016.

From the point of view of the disinformation campaigner, the picture has one advantage: it includes the keyword occupation. The pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign seems to be obsessed with claims about occupational forces. It repeats messages that not just Syria, Ukraine, Georgia, Czech Republic or all the Eastern European countries but all of Europe is under either US, NATO or German occupation. At the same time, it appears that Ukraine is also occupied by the EU. See the links to set the record straight.

Clinton, thesis and Lucifer

And talking about far-fetched disinformation lines: the old campaign against Hillary Clinton surfaced in Georgia once again, when one outlet scooped that Clinton dedicated her thesis to Lucifer! When you have stopped laughing, check the facts here.

Ukraine on the frontline

This week, pro-Kremlin outlets have been accusing Ukraine of being a failed Nazi state that’s preparing for a military solution in Donbas whilst being simultaneously the impotent puppet of the US and EU. According to Russian media, all of this is happening because Ukraine is just a victim of the geopolitical and economic interests of the United States.

The unavoidable military escalation between Ukraine and Russia is an often spread narrative by the pro-Kremlin outlets but this week they have been more focused on the false claims that the US “splatters blood on Ukraine”. The main idea behind is to show Ukraine has little to say on its own future and foreign policy. Reality-check: Ukraine is a sovereign state recognized by all the UN members, with a legitimate government.

Of course this doesn’t bother pro-Kremlin media as they tend to describe Ukraine as a failed state. This time they have pointed out real problems with supply of hot water and heating and made it look like the entire country has cold shivers whilst standing on the brink of social unrest.

But enough about politics: isn’t it true that in reality an average Ukrainian is a nice person? Well, not according to Russian media which indicates that people in Ukraine call Russians “non-humans” and are eager to kill them – and ready to announce Adolf Hitler a national hero. If you look at our database, it seems that in reality it is only in the pro-Kremlin disinformation that Hitler is still a main protagonist.