Anti-Russian Propaganda and Disinformation in the Baltic States: Goals and Meanings

In the modern Baltics, the Russian-speaking population is still a significant factor in socio-political and cultural processes. By Russian-speaking population we mean all those who are able to communicate in Russian and use this language in the information space. In recent years, the Baltic republics have been experiencing a wave of cross-border movements and migration, which are comparable in scale to the resettlement of Soviet working citizens in the 20th century to the territories of these countries. Therefore, the processes of integration and assimilation of Russian-speaking immigrants actualize the already existing problems of the ethnic minority, especially in Latvia and Estonia. At the same time, in the current conflict circumstances between Russia and the Baltic states, not all Russian-speakers are considered a loyal population supporting a special “Euro-Baltic” identity. Therefore, in order to accelerate the assimilation processes, as well as to increase the level of escalation between our countries, measures are being implemented in the Baltics related to anti-Russian propaganda and disinformation aimed at the Russian-speaking population.