Russia’s hybrid threats toolbox: Pro-Kremlin media narratives surrounding a suspected Russian chemical weapons attack on Bulgarian soil

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 –…

Join the conference “Building Resilience to Foreign Authoritarian Disinformation in Southeast Europe” (22 Feb 2023)

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…

A pack of viral lies: disinformation narratives about Ukraine and why are Bulgarians gobbling them down?

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…

Expert on Darik: Bulgarians believe in conspiracies and pro-Russian propaganda the most of all Europeans

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.…

Press conference on “Pro-Russian disinformation and the Kremlin’s anti-democratic messages in Bulgaria in the context of information war”

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…

OPEN CALL: Debunking and fact-checking articles exposing Kremlin disinformation

The FENCE initiative, supported by the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), offers small-scale grants to boost fact-checking and debunking activities in Southeast Europe, with a special focus on Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania. The initiative’s aim is to reveal the Kremlin’s disinformation and propaganda narratives being spread across the region, and in particular those used by domestic actors in national political…

Countering malign foreign disinformation and propaganda

Countering Russian disinformation and propaganda requires not only deterrence, but also a long-term strategy of media literacy training and awareness campaigns for the general public. In the short term, the creation of a state body to monitor the media environment and combat disinformation, similar to the existing ones in the Western countries, would help. Another…