What Russia Told Ukrainians During the European Elections

Russian propaganda has actively spread many fakes about the EU and European leadership to demoralise Ukrainians but failed to influence their pro-European intentions.

While Europe was actively preparing to counter Russian disinformation during the EU elections in June, Russia used this time to sow more doubt and distrust of European countries among Ukrainians.  

Ukrainian fact-checking organisations recently noted a significant increase in fakes dedicated to the EU, the European Parliament elections, and elections in European countries. The main purpose of those fakes was to form a negative image of the EU, demoralise Ukrainians and show them that there would be no more help and support from Europe.

For example, the Kremlin’s media have been actively spreading the narrative that the European elections will lead to a situation ‘similar to the collapse of the USSR’.

Regardless of which party’s candidates will be elected to the European Parliament, Russian media wrote, the new balance of power will lead to “the collapse of the European Union, at least because it has long outgrown its status as a club of interests”. 

“Absolutely any election that takes place in countries of interest to Russia becomes a target for Russian attacks. If you watch Russian television, it’s very easy to see who the Kremlin considers a friend of Russia and who is an enemy,” said Ruslan Deynichenko, co-founder and executive director of the StopFake project.

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For example, in the Ukrainian information space, social media spread fake news that Emmanuel Macron’s party had offered €100 to every French citizen who would vote for it in the parliamentary elections, or that EU politicians were “struck by the fascist virus” on the eve of the elections and that the EU was “ready to follow in Hitler’s footsteps”.

Ukrainian social media was also filled with reports about various protests in different European countries, emphasising the violent dispersal of participants. Russian Telegram channels stressed that the EU was undemocratic, did not respect people’s rights, and imposed censorship.

Russia also spread fakes aimed at worsening relations between Ukraine and European countries, claiming that all that Europe needs from Ukraine is resources. For example, a video was circulated showing German farmers assessing the soil quality in Ukraine, with the comment “This is exactly why the war in Ukraine is being waged”.

The other narrative that also began to appear more actively in the context of relations between Ukrainians and Europeans is that Europeans are interested in continuing the war in Ukraine, while Ukrainians want peace. Such fakes included rhetoric against those political forces that advocate continued support for Ukraine.

Disinformation like that, spread on popular Telegram channels, by bots in popular discussions, and on Russian and pro-Russian media, is intended to make Ukrainians lose trust in Europe.

However, Russians have not been successful as Ukrainians remain predominantly pro-European, which is constantly confirmed by opinion polls. 

Thus, according to a survey in July published by the European Council on Foreign Relations, two-thirds of Ukrainians regard EU membership as just as important as NATO membership. The survey also shows that Ukrainians have much more favourable views of the EU’s role in the war than do EU citizens.  

A study by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation on the attitudes of Ukrainians towards the EU also noted that the majority of people associate the EU with those positive aspects that are less achievable in Ukraine due to the war: freedom to travel, study and work anywhere within the EU (49%), quality of life for future generations (44%), economic prosperity (39%), social security (35%), democracy (34%), peace (33%).

Therefore, there is no evidence that Russian attempts to worsen the perception of European countries among Ukrainians were successful. 

The Ukrainian authorities are also convinced that the Russian agenda in Europe will not succeed, despite all propaganda efforts.

“There is no alternative to supporting Ukraine’s victory and ensuring the defeat of Russian aggression. Otherwise, the national security of our partners will be at risk. This applies to Europe, the United States, and the rest of the world,” stressed Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in July.

Olha Yurkova, co-founder of the StopFake fact-checking project, said that “Russia’s victory could be considered if they (pro-Russian political forces that oppose support for Ukraine) took a majority in the European Parliament. Why? To make it easier to achieve their goals, which include disrupting support for Ukraine, undermining stability in Europe, and weakening the EU”.

“Unfortunately, we see a certain strengthening of the positions of these political forces, but they do not have a majority,” she said.

This article is part of the FREIHEIT media project on Europe’s Neighbourhood, funded by the European Media and Information Fund (EMIF).

[Edited by Alexandra Brzozowski/Zoran Radosavljevic]