Lutz Güllner, EU communications expert, on Russian information manipulation tactics, EU defense mechanisms and freedom of expression.
Die Presse: One of the tasks of your task force is to uncover disinformation campaigns by the Russian government in Europe. What kind of disinformation about the Ukraine war is mainly being spread at the moment?
Lutz Güllner: We are always dealing with these three main narratives: The first block of issues is the legitimacy of the war, who is the aggressor, who has to defend himself, NATO, the West, is always named as the aggressor. Furthermore, Ukraine’s right to self-determination is undermined, the Ukrainian leadership is discredited, and historical parallels are drawn. The third narrative is of greatest concern to us at the moment because it is changing so rapidly: it is the “narrative” that justifies escalations. These include reports about US bioweapons laboratories in Ukraine or the turn of the humanitarian catastrophe, such as the claim that Ukrainian militants are hiding in the Mariupol hospital.