EUvsDisinfo: The Kremlin spews a smokescreen of FIMI over drones in Poland
The Kremlin has been spewing out disinformation narratives of attacks against Ukraine and the European Union. At the same time, Russia has been conducting drone operations against Ukraine, with some drones passing through EU and NATO member states such as Poland.
This was the picture that marked the past week. On the night of September 9, around 25 Russian drones penetrated Polish airspace, then they were either shot downor shot down by NATO air defenses.
Then the verbal cannonade began - Russia launched a manipulative campaign, spewing out numerous disinformation narratives about what had happened. As always, the tactic was to say everything, everywhere, at once - as long as what was said served to deny and distract from Russia's responsibility. Let's look at the main lines of attack.
Nothing happened, we did nothing
The thesis of some pro-Russian commentators was that in fact almost nothing happened, nothing at all. Pro-Russian commentator Alexander Dugin, for example, stated: “There was absolutely nothing. Pieces, debris, explosions... And the Poles panicked.“ For his part, Vladimir Solovyov ironicallythe fact that Poland deployed the “Patriot“-s because of “only three – four drones“.
Other speakers used more technical arguments – for example, the understanding that Russian drones have a range of only 700 kilometers, so they could not reach Poland. In fact, the drones were modifiedto carry additional fuel tanks, giving them greater range. When faced with such contradictory claims and denials, one wonders: which version of the truth should we believe?
Generally speaking, the media and commentators stuck to the message that Polish and European authorities had provided “no evidence“ that the drones belonged to Russia. In fact, there were plenty of documented cases of downed Russian “Gerbera”.
“They“ did it
“They“ refers to the list of usual suspects that the Kremlin accuses of aggressive acts or atrocities committed by its own forces. So maybe Ukraine did it. Maybe they tried to carry out a “provocation“ to drag Poland into the war against Russia. Or maybe Poland did it in an attempt to provoke another provocation to drag NATO into the war. Or maybe the whole thing was a covert operation by the West, designed to sabotage peace talks or even provoke the US into entering the war.
So many provocations in such a short time. But you get the point: they deny the obvious and point accusing fingers at everyone around them.
Come on – this time in Romania
A few days later, a Russian drone violated Romanian airspace, which Romanian authorities believe was likely deliberate. And – what a surprise – pro-Russian media followed the same disinformation scenario: the drone is Ukrainian, Ukraine launched it to turn European countries against Russia, there is no evidence that the drone is Russian, Romania protested about the drone only after NATO ordered it to do so, and so on.
The Romanian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the drone was Russian. But pro-Kremlin disinformation claims that perhaps the Romanian army was mistaken and is now trying to blame Russia.
Just as Russia’s drones circle European skies, so do its disinformation narratives, constantly vacillating between denial, distraction, and delusion. These narratives seek to cover up the Kremlin’s actions. But the truth cannot remain hidden. Neither can the drones.
Let us not be fooled.
Other topics in this week's EUvsDisinfo roundup:
- Russian disinformation and interference media outlets have claimed that Russia did not attack pensioners waiting in line in Ukraine. According to Sputnik, a Russian bomb did not hit a group of pensioners waiting to receive their pensions in a village near Yarova, eastern Ukraine, close to the front line. The attack killed 23 people and injured 18 others. However, the bombing was confirmed by video footage, by journalists on the ground, and in testimoniesof survivors. This is a big lie.
- Another false claim spread this week is that Ukraine is recruiting Brazilian mercenaries who are training organized crime in Latin America. The narrative is undoubtedly fabricated to fuel U.S. concerns about drug cartels. Some Latin Americans have joined Ukraine's International Legion, and Ukrainian authorities are investigating individual cases of cartel members who allegedly joined the Legion to benefit from drone training. But there is no evidence that the cartel leaders are meeting with “Ukrainian mercenaries“ to learn military techniques.
- Finally, the manipulative Russian media is spreading the narrative that the EU wants to use Moldovans in its fight against Russia, after the supply of Ukrainians runs out. This falsification is an example of twisting the facts - it is Russia that is using North Koreans as cannon fodder in Ukraine to save Russian lives. It is as if the EU is somehow going to order Moldova to send its citizens into battle. The narrative is part of a large-scale manipulative campaign aimed at the upcoming parliamentary elections in Moldova, which will be held on September 28.
EUvsDisinfo/ translation: European Commission Representation in Bulgaria