“Latvia is failing, the West is evil, Russians are victims” – these are the most popular narratives in Russian language social media accounts targeting Latvia. Despite Russia’s traditional media bans, problematic messaging thrives on Facebook and Telegram, continuing to shape perceptions among Latvia’s Russian-speaking population.
Findings from a new research project “Echoes from the Kremlin: New Platforms, Old Narratives” were presented at the RGSL July 2. This study by RGSL lecturer Dr. Mārtiņš Hiršs reveals that problematic narratives as well as Kremlin-aligned disinformation are alive and well on social media.
When Latvia banned Russian TV channels and online news portals in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the move was hailed as a major step toward information sovereignty. However, analysis of the top-performing posts across six major Russian-language Facebook and Telegram channels active in Latvia reveals four dominant narratives thriving online: Russophobia, Economic Hardships, the Failed State, and the Bad West.
Dr. Hiršs concludes in the report: "Getting ahead of these narratives is an extremely difficult task. Most popular narratives exploit genuine and unresolved domestic grievances among Latvia’s Russian-speaking population. The Latvian state has a trust gap with its Russophone minority, and others – Russia, populists, or radical influencers – are filling it."
Where public trust in state institutions, socioeconomic equity, or ethnic cohesion is weak, narratives of Russophobia, state failure, and economic decline flourish organically – with or even without foreign coordination. The focus only on “information” in the so-called “information war” is misleading. The winning strategy would focus on addressing deeply rooted domestic political and socioeconomical vulnerabilities that enable Russia’s propaganda’s success."
The full report “Echoes from the Kremlin” by Dr. Mārtiņš Hiršs is available here.