Download full report (PDF) Alongside its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, Russia has intensified its efforts to undermine the national and common policies of the EU and NATO, as well as the other countries on the continent, by using hybrid operations and leveraging its economic influence. The countries of Southeastern Europe have been…
Flash report Author: Connor O’Kelley Introduction In his 1911 satirical compendium The Devil’s Dictionary, American author and journalist Ambrose Bierce defined diplomacy as “The patriotic art of lying for one’s country” – over a century later, as countries such as Russia and China utilize their embassies throughout Europe and the world as platforms to…
Flash Report The story behind On February 15, 2015, three Russian nationals arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria and booked stays at two local hotels, albeit with an unusual request; the men wanted rooms with a view, but not of the city skylines or Mount Vitosha. They all wanted views of the same parking garage –…
Download full report (PDF) The deliberate spread of disinformation and other types of false and/or misleading information is a ubiquitous and pervasive issue in Bulgaria. False information is constantly being proliferated on both traditional and social media by opaque networks of influence consisting of a wide variety of actors, including journalists, opinion leaders, business…
The conference will take place as a hybrid event with main venue in Sofia, Bulgaria and via Zoom. Check the conference agenda for more information Join us next week to discuss how we can overcome vulnerabilities in Southeast Europe related to foreign authoritarian influence and the spread of disinformation by developing the institutional, regulatory and…
Flash Report Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has once again highlighted the risks associated with the EU’s considerable dependence on conventional energy supplies from Russia. Although the current energy crisis began before the war, it was exacerbated by Russia in an effort to blackmail the EU and its members to abandon their common energy…
Flash report Author: Svetoslav Malinov One of the long-lasting disinformation narratives, originated and reiterated multiple times by Russian controlled media and amplified and republished constantly by the group of pro-Kremlin online news outlets in Bulgaria, refers to EU and NATO as the main factors for starting the war in Ukraine and opposing the Kremlin’s…
CSD, together with several other organizations, including the AEJ, organized a press conference to talk about the Kremlin’s pro-Russian disinformation and anti-democratic messages in Bulgaria in the context of the information war. According to T. Galev from CSD, when disinformation or propaganda is spread on purpose, we can classify the situation as an information war.…
Flash Report Author: Gloria Trifonova, Svetoslav Malinov, Todor Galev, CSD The Kremlin’s extensive and methodical disinformation campaign against Ukraine began long before its invasion on February 24, 2022. And it has only grown in complexity and scale since. Bulgaria is exceptionally susceptible to the Kremlin’s web of (dis-)information influence, one of the many tools within…
Although Russia’s economic presence in Europe has been declining in last two years, Bulgaria alongside with Serbia are the countries most inclined to safeguard and showcase pro-Russian disinformation and propaganda narratives and sentiments in Southeastern Europe. They serve as key hubs of economic, political and informational influence for the Kremlin and a base of operations…
