Disinfo: NATO funded research on how to hack our brains

Summary

NATO recently funded a study on the so-called cognitive warfare, whose purpose is to hack the brain to turn itr into a propaganda weapon, targeting your mind. Their goal is not only to change what we think, but how we think and how we receive and process the information, how we act. According to the author, the main focus is not enemy soldiers and top officials, bu the entirety of the human population of a nation. Any user of modern information technologies is a potential target. The idea of turning citizens into weapons for NATO’s interests is present throughout all the document.

Disproof

Manipulation: the claim is a gross distortion of the original document. First, it is merely a theoretical essay on the concept of cognitive warfare. Second, the document clearly states that “the views and opinions expressed strictly reflect the discussions held on the Innovation Hub forums” but not those of NATO’s Allied Command Transformation, the sponsor of the study, or its member nations (page 3). Third, the study approach is defensive, as it states that “NATO’s adversaries are already investing heavily in these new technologies” (p. 4), with specific mentions of China and Russia (p. 26, pp. 38-42). The author concludes that “NATO needs to anticipate advances in these technologies by raising the awareness of the true potential of CW [cognitive warfare]” (p. 4), as “failing to thwart the cognitive efforts of NATO’s opponents would condemn Western liberal societies to lose the next war without a fight” (p. 36). Contrary to the claim of this disinformation story, in no way does the study suggest that NATO may be interested in “turning citizens into weapons for its interests”. Disinformation narratives against NATO are a recurring feature of pro-Kremlin outlets.

See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as baseless allegations about NATO's obsolescence, cannibalistic character, fascistic tendencies and links to white supremacist ideology, claims that NATO became a US armed wing ensuring control of energy resources, or the affirmation that NATO's anti-Russian stance is the only unifying force among its members.

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  • Reported in: Issue 272
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 11/02/2022
  • Article language(s) Spanish
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: US, EU
  • Keywords: NATO, Information war
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Disinfo: The Baltic states are the anti-Russian vanguard of the West

The Baltic states are the vanguard of the anti-Russian movement in the West. They rewrite their common history with Russia. Especially the history of WWII. They are accusing the Soviet Union of “occupation”, using the term “Soviet occupation”. The Baltic states regularly violate human rights too.

Feb 10, 2022
Disproof

The narrative is presenting traditional cliches of Kremlin disinformation about the Baltic states. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are accused of historical revisionism, Russophobia and violation of human rights.

The circumstances of the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states in 1940 are well-known today. On 23 August 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed a non-aggression (Molotov-Ribbentrop) pact whose secret protocols divided the territories belonging to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Romania into Soviet and Nazi spheres of influence. The Baltic States were not the beneficiaries of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. Like other countries mentioned in the pact, they lost their independence and territories.

Disinfo: Polish border guards shot about 20 migrants per day on Belarus border

Polish border guards were shooting about 20 illegal migrants on the Belarus border every day from 9 till 18 June 2021.

Feb 10, 2022
Disproof

This is an unsubstantiated claim. It advances a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets about the migration situation on the EU-Belarus border during early 2022.

Belarus permanently accuses its neighbour countries from the European Union of brutal behaviour toward migrants and violation of human rights. However, these accusations are not supported by facts. Several tragic accidents did really occur near the border, causing the death of some migrants. At the end of 2021, the number of migrants that had died during this crisis ranged from 13 to 21 (see information here and here). In any case, this is far from “20 migrants shot every day” by Polish border guards.

Disinfo: Ukraine does not want the return of Donbas because of the neo-Nazi cult of Bandera

The Ukrainian political class installed as a result of the 2014 coup is afraid of the presence of the Donbas politicians in Ukrainian politics. Indeed, the return of Donbas to Ukraine would imply the reconstruction of the Ukrainian political scene. The Ukrainian Parliament will have to take into consideration the politicians who want friendly relations with Russia and who are critical of the neo-Banderite nationalism. The Kyiv political class does not like this situation – after the return of Donbas, there will be a necessity to look for a compromise and to soften the neo-Nazi cult of Bandera. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba announces that Kyiv is afraid of Donbas and does not want it to come back.

Feb 10, 2022
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that Ukraine is not willing to implement the Minsk and Normandy agreements, and Ukraine's position is the only obstacle on the way to the peace process in Donbas.

The claim that the “Nazi Ukraine” does not want to return Donbas because it wants to promote the “neo-Nazi cult of Bandera” is ungrounded.