Report
Lithuania Monthly: Defense Budget Increase Sparks Disinformation
Lithuania’s decision to increase defence spending to 5–6% of GDP has sparked disinformation campaigns, with pro-Kremlin media portraying it as reckless and harmful to the economy. Social media narratives claim the move will increase taxes, hurt public services, and benefit NATO over Lithuania. Critics, including political figures, question NATO’s influence and Lithuania’s priorities, while YouTube and social media amplify misleading claims about personal savings and economic fallout. This controversy highlights how strategic decisions are weaponized to fuel public division and distrust.
Monthly Reports
Lithuania Monthly: Lithuanian Schools Inundated with Bomb Threats in Coordinated Attack
Analysis of Kremlin-aligned media in Lithuania reveals a continued focus on promoting the anti-government narrative. All top stories from these specific outlets carry negative sentiments targeting the government, in an attempt to turn their audience against the main ruling politicians and national institutions. During the reporting period, Kremlin-aligned media outlets emphasized the “failing education system” (due to the ongoing teachers’ protests), commented on all the revealed candidacies for the forthcoming presidential elections, emphasized the government’s inadequate response to false bomb threats and detailly analysed the case of Lithuanian defence chief Valdemaras Rupšys, misusing his state allowance.
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Latvia Monthly: Istanbul Convention
“Ārlietu ministrs Kariņš nesenā uzstāšanās Strasbūrā minēja to, ka tie, kas ir pret Stambulas kоnvenciju ir it kā Krievijas ietekmēti”/ Foreign affairs minister Kariņš in his recent visit in Strasbourg claims that those that are against ratification of Istanbul Convention are influenced by RussiaThe ratification of the Istanbul Convention has been on the agenda of the leading Latvian party “Jaunā Vienotība”, however it has not been able to receive the necessary support within the parliament. In late spring of 2023, the topic of violence against women in Latvia and the lack of mechanisms to prevent it or protect women was brought up following a shocking homicide of a mother by her previous partner in which the police was, in view of public opinion, compliant due to their negligence. Following the incident Krišjānis Kariņš had publicly stated that the coalition should be more active in its efforts to ratify the Istanbul Convention and had set is a goal for the
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Estonia Monthly: Yana Toom on the Estonian ban on issuing visas to Russian citizens
The Estonian social media and web-based media actors during the reporting month predominantly were still focused on the Estonian/Russian language policy issues, human rights issues, democracy and trust towards elected officials, war in Ukraine, terrorist crisis in Israel as well as the international security situation in general. Accordingly, the main narratives that were spread over the social media were the following:
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Latvia Monthly: “National Security Concept 2023” and the the opposition party “Stabilitātei!”
Following the introduction of the “National Security Concept 2023” in late September, the leader of the opposition party “Stabilitātei!” Aleksandrs Rosļikovs commented on the matter in a Tiktok video stating that the new concept aims to prohibit people from speaking in Russian and that “ignoring 40% of the population” is going to backfire.
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Estonia Monthly: Language policy: if Russian would “disappear” in Estonia in the “Latvian way”.
The Estonian social media and web-based media actors during the reporting month predominantly were focused on the Estonian/Russian language policy issues, human rights issues, democracy and trust towards elected officials, war in Ukraine as well as the international security situation in general. Accordingly, the main narratives that were spread over the social media were the following:
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