Report
Lithuania Monthly: Kremlin-Aligned Media Spins Kursk Operation to Stoke Anti-Western Sentiment
September saw an uptick in Kremlin-aligned Lithuanian media activity, with Ukraine-related topics and anti-government narratives dominating the disinformation landscape. A particularly heated controversy emerged after television presenter Algis Ramanauskas made inflammatory remarks about Russian-speaking communities, which sparked public outrage and further fueled the narrative of ethnic tension.
Weekly Reports
Lithuania Weekly: Ramanauskas vs. Russian Speakers
Algis Ramanauskas’ controversial comments about Russian-speaking people on his YouTube talk show sparked outrage. His remarks, which included hostile language about Russian culture, quickly circulated in the media and ignited public debates on tolerance, hate speech, and Russophobia. Despite his later apology, the controversy underscored deeper societal issues concerning the integration of Russian-speaking minorities in Lithuania.
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Latvia Weekly: Bureaucracy, Language Policy, and COVID-19 Spark Debate
Domestic issues dominated the narrative, focusing on bureaucracy, corruption, mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for children, and the use of the Russian language in public spaces. Opposition parties criticized the parliamentary decision to exclude the Russian language from ATMs, labeling it as Russophobic and inconvenient for Ukrainian refugees.
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Estonia Weekly: Continued Russophobia Allegations
Social media has been abuzz with increasing anti-government sentiment, with many posts criticizing the current administration’s handling of the economy, while official sources have reported a surge in claims of Russophobia in Estonia, particularly in relation to the removal of Soviet-era monuments and burial sites.
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Lithuania Weekly: Accelerating Election Campaign
significant social media activity came from controversial politician Petras Gražulis, who posted 31 Facebook Reels, harshly criticizing the government and promoting his coalition “Kelkis Lietuva”.
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Monthly Reports
Lithuania Monthly: Kremlin-Aligned Media Spins Kursk Operation to Stoke Anti-Western Sentiment
September saw an uptick in Kremlin-aligned Lithuanian media activity, with Ukraine-related topics and anti-government narratives dominating the disinformation landscape. A particularly heated controversy emerged after television presenter Algis Ramanauskas made inflammatory remarks about Russian-speaking communities, which sparked public outrage and further fueled the narrative of ethnic tension.
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Latvia Monthly: Opposition Spreads Misinformation About Kamala Harris and the Equality Act
A member of the Latvian opposition party shared an AI-generated image alongside false claims about Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. The post misleadingly alleges that Harris would pass the “Equality Act” to allow men access to women’s private spaces and promote gender reassignment surgery for young adults. These claims, however, distort the true purpose of the Act, which aims to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
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Estonia Monthly: Misleading Narrative on Baltic Poverty and EU Integration
Svyatoslav Knyazev argues that Baltic countries have suffered economic decline since joining the European Union. While the article highlights certain challenges, it fails to consider the broader context of Baltic successes, such as digital innovation and EU-driven modernization. Knyazev’s claim that “Europe is impoverishing the Baltics” overlooks key reforms, EU development funds, and geopolitical factors influencing their pivot away from Russia.
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Lithuania Monthly: Financial Misconduct Allegations Shake Lithuanian Crowdfunding Platform
Lithuanian crowdfunding platform Contribee faced allegations of financial misconduct after reports revealed that shareholder Gediminas Ratkevičius misappropriated over 130K euros from the Blue/Yellow NGO, which supports Ukraine.
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