Tag "Kremlin Watch Briefing"
Topics of the Week Head of MI6: Putin should not underestimate British determination and capabilities. Czech counter-intelligence agency published a detailed Annual Report describing Russian and Chinese activities in the Czech Republic. US Secretary of Defense Mattis has accused Vladimir Putin of continually “mucking around” the US midterm elections. From the Kremlin leadership to consumers – what the Russian disinformation chain looks like, according to RAND. Good Old Soviet Joke A poll question in a Russian…
START TAKING PRO-KREMLIN DISINFORMATION SERIOUSLY Open Letter by European Security Experts to the President of the European Commission J. C. Juncker and the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini The European Commission continues to fail to deliver a practical response to pro-Kremlin disinformation. We have published an open letter signed by over 60 security experts from 20 countries that calls for the following: As the Commission is about to…
KREMLIN WATCH IN THE MEDIA An article for The American Interest describes the Kremlin’s relationship with Czech President Miloš Zeman and its potential influence to orchestrate future energy deals in the Czech Republic with Rosatom. European Values director Jakub Janda is quoted: “The President’s office is blackmailing the Prime Minister that if he fails to award the CZK 150-200 billion ($6.6-8.8 billion) to the Russians, he will lose Zeman’s support, who will then destroy his coalition…
NEW PUBLICATION akub Janda, director of the European Values Think-Tank, has published a new article recommending immediate steps the West should take to thwart Russia’s hostile influence operations. He identifies five factors that currently impede an effective Western response: Europe lacks non-military forms of deterrence and remains a consistent target; Only the United States and, to some extent, the United Kingdom have demonstrated willingness to escalate defensive sanctions and deterrence measures; The…
Topics of the Week The Kremlin has introduced new economic sanctions against 322 Ukrainian citizens and 68 companies. RT and Sputnik, along with other foreign accounts, circulated disinformation on Brazilian social media to influence the presidential election. As part of its new Defending Democracy program, Microsoft is developing machine learning tools to help politicians and candidates thwart cyberattacks. The Pentagon and US intelligence community are bracing to execute a major cyber offensive against Russia should the latter systemically interfere in the…
Topics of the Week Facebook is responding to Russian interference in the United States, but continuously underestimates disinformation campaigns in other countries. The New York Times: US Cyber Command launched its first known digital campaign to target Russia’s cyber operatives. Special Focus: The Russian Orthodox Church vilifies the autocephaly developments in Ukraine. International Elections Study Center: Examining Russian election meddling through politics, the non-governmental sector, and media. Good Old Soviet Joke An advisor to the President…
NEW PUBLICATION Hybrid Analytica: Pro-Kremlin Expert Propaganda in Moscow, Europe and the U.S.: A Case Study on Think Tanks and Universities The Institute of Modern Russia (IMR) has published a new report by Dr. Kateryna Smagliy, with contributions by Ilya Zaslavskiy, that traces the insidious web of connections between Russian oligarchs and Western research institutions. Dr. Smagliy was a Special Fellow at the European Values Think-Tank during the summer of 2018. The report examines…
Topics of the Week Ruslan Boshirov, one of the two suspects in the Skripal poisoning, has been identified as a GRU colonel by investigators from Bellingcat. A new report shows that voting infrastructure in the US is highly vulnerable – remotely hackable voting tabulators are in use in 23 states. Russian state media are bashing the Dutch Ministry of Defence for inadequately dressing their soldiers for cold weather. STRATPOL report: Of the Visegrad 4 countries, Hungary…
Topics of the Week State-owned Russian news agency financed three seemingly-independent news sites in the Baltic countries that were instructed to produce pro-Kremlin content. Michael Carpenter: “Russia’s manipulation of fringe far-right groups is part of a deliberate strategy to undermine Western democratic institutions.” he Kremlin disinformation machine is churning at full speed to justify Russian advances into Syria’s Idlib region. Read about a new Swedish report on countering information influence activities in preparation of the upcoming…
Topics of the Week Ilya Zaslavskiy: Israel should acknowledge the threat of the Kremlin’s hostile influence and act accordingly. Are the US midterms already in jeopardy? RT is fond of Trump, but not so much the United States. Robotrolling: Russian-language messages about the Baltics and Poland mainly produced by humans for the first time Good Old Soviet Joke A foreign correspondent asks a Czech citizen: “What’s the situation after Prague Spring? Are the Russians your…
