On NATO Front Lines, Slovaks Fight Advance of Russian Propaganda

Daniel Hornak
·2 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- Slovakia, a NATO and European Union member where polls show half of citizens believe Russia didn’t cause the war in Ukraine, is beefing up a special unit set up this year to fight hybrid threats.

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Now the Center for Countering Hybrid Threats at the Interior Ministry is looking to buy special AI-based analytical software to detect information operations. “It will allow us to have a better overview of what is happening online and whether it is managed from abroad,” said Daniel Milo, the unit’s chief in an interview this week.

Russia uses online hybrid campaigns to undermine the government that has a strong pro-Ukrainian stance, he said. Surveys show over a half of the population of 5.4 million is prone to believe in conspiracy theories and only every other Slovak believes that Russia attacked Ukraine. More citizens also trust Russians than their American allies.

Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, the share of pro-Russian narratives on social media matched pro-Ukrainian ones, Milo said.

“But in the course of a few months, the situation shifted,” he said. “Pro-Russian Facebook posts prevailed more and more. It is the result of this disinformation campaign, part of the population is indoctrinated by pro-Russian propaganda.”

The unit’s efforts are backed by the government that has been sending military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, hosting tens of thousands of refugees and backing all sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU.

“We need to accelerate our efforts, there is still potential to increase efficiency,” Premier Eduard Heger said on Oct. 19 as he addressed the need to fight against disinformation on social media.

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For that to succeed, these steps also need to be backed at European and global levels, “otherwise our efforts might be toothless,” he said.

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