The rhetoric of the Russian Federation regarding the war in Ukraine is changing from “special military operation” to variants of “Patriotic War 2.0”. Western countries must mobilize their efforts to neutralize increasingly aggressive attempts to influence public opinion by Russia’s propaganda machine in order to make citizens and institutions more resilient. This was said by Pavel Havlicek from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a research fellow at the Association for International Relations, Prague, in the program “In Development” on Bloomberg TV Bulgaria with host Veselin Spasova.
War plays a huge role in Putin’s personal and political goals, the guest was emphatic. “This was mentioned on May 9, when Russia celebrated the end of World War II.”
“The war affects Putin’s personal future and the future of the Russian Federation. It helps him stay in power, and we notice that he is trying to involve the whole of Russian society in the war, not only against Ukraine, but also against the whole of Western society. All the Kremlin’s propaganda targeting the Russian-speaking space is getting stronger. It is noticeable that the rhetoric is turning – from “Special Military Operation” to “Great Patriotic War 2.0″. This is increasingly reflected in the propaganda machine that Russia uses against Ukraine, Western democracy and its own citizens,” added the guest.
According to him, there was concern in the EU about the results of the presidential elections in Turkey and especially the trend towards a more authoritarian regime like in Iran.
“Despite the similarities with Iran, it is very important to know the situation in Turkey and to say that it is far from cursed,” commented the guest. “The result was very close and this gives a very clear signal to the rulers in Turkey that society is almost equally divided between different camps and orientations for future development. There is hope that there will not be an authoritarian regime. At least for now,” Havlicek believes.
When asked how dangerous the autocracy is for the Balkans and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the interlocutor said that it is “serious”, “especially for the countries close to Turkey, including Bulgaria.
“We know that Turkey is a very big investor and partner in many countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is putting economic pressure, which is showing in a sense. But Turkey also has a lot of internal problems that affected the election results – social problems , inflation. The country is fighting itself still. But it is also a member of NATO, which gives hope that it will return to the Western countries once the situation calms down after the elections. Obviously, the big question mark is NATO and Sweden’s entry in the union,” he says.
The issue of the growing rapprochement between Russia and China is becoming increasingly important for the international community, Havlicek stressed. “Russia uses China as a potential supporter and partner that supplies a number of things, such as technology, means and tools of influence. We are trying to follow this in Central and Eastern Europe as well. Their strategies are similar and they exchange ‘notes’ on what works and which is not. This is increasingly being observed. The Russian ecosystem is being adopted by the communist regime in China. They are mutually learning from each other and their interests are increasingly converging.”
See the full comment at the video of Bloomberg TV Bulgaria
2023-05-31 12:24:00
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