Baltic states in the Russian online media: Monitoring and Analysis of Russian information space in May-December 2021

The chapter summarizes the findings of the monitoring and analysis of the Baltic country coverage in the Russian online niche media (www.topwar.ru; www.rg.ru; www.rosbalt.ru; www.fontanka.ru; www.expert.ru) May-December 2021. Some of the findings are: The three Baltic countries are portrayed as hysteric and hostile in the Russian online niche media. They are described as pacesetters in NATO’s and the EU’s standoff with Russia. While Lithuania is presented as distinctively confrontational in its foreign policy (disputes with Russia, Belarus, and China), Latvia and Estonia are pictured as having issues with Russia in the foreign policy domain and domestic affairs. The size of the Russian community and violations of compatriot rights in those two countries are regularly accented in the media. Russian disinformation technique distinctive features: 1) Constructing tendentious headlines that exaggerate the presented issues, make the situation resonate, or cause reputational damage to the country or region. 2) Spreading statements and opinions that compromise national policies, leaders, international organizations, their values, and official stands. 3) Presenting crippled or misleading interpretations of facts and situations (usually) regarding NATO, EU, and its allies. 4) Justifying Russia’s aggressive foreign policy behavior with a hostile external environment and threatened national interests and portraying the country as having no malign intentions in the international political space – on the contrary, it is acting to help. And much more.