“Russian Policy and Donbas. War, Disinformation — and Western Indifference”: UCBSS Panel Discussion

_{Panel discussion “Russian Policy and Donbas. War, Disinformation — and Western Indifference” in Munich Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation}

On September 11 in Munich, the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation held a panel discussion on Russian disinformation in the West. Speakers discussed why the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2014 was labeled a “forgotten war” and how successful Russian disinformation campaigns were, using Germany as an example.

The event was held in cooperation with UCBSS partners in Germany — the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, the Thomas Dehler Foundation, and Ukrainischer Verein Augsburg e.V. (Association of Ukrainians in Augsburg).

The speakers of the discussion were:
Kateryna Matei – Representative of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation in Germany;
Til Mayer – journalist and photographer documenting the war in Eastern Ukraine since 2017.

The discussion was moderated by Kostiantyn Hrot – PhD in History, Program Officer at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and the Thomas Dehler Foundation.

After the occupation of eastern Ukraine — Donetsk and Luhansk regions — in 2014, Russians constantly attempted to create the image of oppressed “separatists” on the temporarily occupied territories, allegedly exploited and robbed by their own country (the narrative of “Donbas feeding all of Ukraine”). In reality, the top of the occupation administration was occupied by Russian military personnel, and their units were the first Russian troops on Ukrainian territory.

Equally large-scale disinformation campaigns aimed to shift responsibility for committed crimes onto Ukraine, such as the tragedy of the downing of passenger flight MH17 (which claimed the lives of 298 people). This practice is typical for Russia, as evidenced, for example, by the situation following the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP (UCBSS analysts covered the disinformation campaign after the disaster in this article).

Since 2014, Russian propaganda — often built around staged events — has spread massively across European countries and rooted itself in public consciousness, preparing the ground for the “acceptance of the occupation” of Ukrainian territories.

With the start of the full-scale invasion, when many countries accepted Ukrainian refugees, the Russian network intensified its activities. The goal remains unchanged — destabilization of Western societies.

Kateryna Matei – UCBSS representative in Germany, expert on Russian disinformation, Deputy Chair of the NGO Ukrainischer Verein Augsburg e.V.

“Inaction in response to blatant crimes may cost Western countries dearly. Long before the full-scale invasion, Russia had already penetrated European states and is waiting for the right moment to strike. The hybrid war in the West is already underway”, – notes Kateryna Matei, UCBSS representative in Germany.

Russia’s political influence has manifested in the promotion and financing of far-left and far-right organizations and parties in the West. In Germany, this is evident in the AfD party, which spreads pro-Russian narratives about the war in Ukraine among its electorate. For many years, party representatives systematically appeared on Russian channels in Germany and filmed reports from occupied Ukrainian territories, trips generously funded by the Russian Federation.

Til Mayer – German journalist and photographer documenting the war in Eastern Ukraine since 2017.

“Both hybrid and armed war might not have begun at night if civil societies had not been subjected to constant Russian influence beforehand. The war could have been prevented if the West had clearly stated in advance that an invasion of Ukraine would immediately result in Ukraine receiving everything necessary — aircraft, weapons — to repel the attack. Many saw this coming and said it openly, but for some reason no one listened or acted,” – comments Til Mayer.

While Ukrainians fight on the front lines, the task of Western leaders is to protect their states from Russia’s hybrid weapons by eradicating its agents of influence. Every Russian agent in the West must become the subject of public attention, political, media, and civic pressure.

We express our gratitude to the partners of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation — the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Thomas Dehler Foundation and Ukrainischer Verein Augsburg e.V. for their support in organizing the event and for their contribution to the Ukrainian struggle.