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Russian narratives calling the invasion of Ukraine a "special military operation" are being heard in some countries, thanks to a Russian disinformation campaign targeting specific areas of the world. VOA’s Virginia Gunawan reports.
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV UKR 1YR Russia Global Media - Gunawan
HEADLINE: Russian Disinformation Campaigns Targeting Developing Countries
TEASER: Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America have been audience to post-colonialist discourse from Russia
PUBLISHED AT: 02/22/2023 AT 11AM
BYLINE: Virginia Gunawan
CONTRIBUTOR: Ukrainian Service
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: Laurentius Wahyudi, Naras Prameswari, AP, AFP, Zoom (with license)
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Kenochs; Reifenrath, DJ (ok)
VIDEO SOURCE (S): AFP, Reuters, ZOOM (WITH LICENSE), VOA
PLATFORMS (mark with X):
TRT: 2:37
VID APPROVED BY: KE
TYPE: TVPKG))
((INTRO))
[[Russian narratives calling the invasion of Ukraine a "special military operation" are being heard in some countries, thanks to a Russian disinformation campaign targeting specific areas of the world. VOA’s Virginia Gunawan reports.]]
((NARRATOR))
Much has been written about Russian disinformation campaigns in the United States and the European Union. But analysts say Western countries are not the only targets of Russian attempts to sway public opinion.
Radityo Dharmaputra is an expert on Russian policy in Asia at Indonesia’s Airlangga University.
((Radityo Dharmaputra, Airlangga University (male in English))) ((Zoom))
“Instead of targeting the West like it used to, they target these countries in the Global South: African countries, Southeast Asia, Latin America.”
((NARRATOR))
Russia Today, or RT, is the best-known Russian state-controlled media outlet. After Russia invaded Ukraine, the EU and Canada banned the organization. The U.S. did not ban RT, but major American cable companies dropped it.
Russia Beyond the Headlines is a lesser-known government-funded media platform. More subtle in its persuasion than RT, it focuses on Russian culture and identity and is presented to audiences in their own language. For predominantly Muslim Indonesia, Islam features heavily.
((Radityo Dharmaputra, Airlangga University (male in English))) ((Zoom))
“For years, Russia has been trying to portray that Russia is the friend of Islam."
((NARRATOR))
Russia’s media efforts in Indonesia intensified in 2015, following its military intervention in Syria’s civil war, which created a strong backlash. Its charm offensive has continued into the Ukraine conflict.
((Radityo Dharmaputra, Airlangga University (male in English))) ((Zoom))
“I think they realize that 'Oh this is actually working,' because that’s the main message in Indonesian social media in the very beginning. Not about the West, not about Ukraine, it is about [how] Russia is quite friendly towards Islam.”
((NARRATOR))
Security experts note that the playbook used in Indonesia is also used elsewhere in Asia as well as in Africa and Latin America.
Kyle Walter is head of research and insight at Logically, a company that works to combat mis- and disinformation.
((Kyle Walter, Logically)) (male in English)
“What they do in places like Africa and places like Southeast Asia as well, they focus on the West colonial history and use that as a way to position Russia as a strategic partner looking forward.”
((NARRATOR))
According to the media literacy organization Debunk.org, the Russian government allocated 1.5 billion dollars to fund the media platforms it controls in 2021.
That amount tripled from January to March 2022, compared with the same period the previous year.
((Virginia Gunawan, VOA News, Washington))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateFebruary 22, 2023 11:32 EST
BylineVirginia Gunawan
Brand / Language ServiceUS Agency for Global Media, Voice of America - English
