Report
Latvia Weekly: MP’s Arrest Fuels Populist Narrative Online
Aleksejs Roslikovs transformed his detention by Latvia’s State Security Service on charges of assisting Russia and inciting hatred into a powerful social media narrative of political martyrdom, portraying himself as a persecuted victim fighting government oppression. His TikTok videos reframing the criminal investigation as evidence of his heroic resistance demonstrate how populist politicians can exploit legal troubles to strengthen their anti-establishment credentials and generate massive online engagement.
Weekly Reports
Latvia Weekly: MP’s Arrest Fuels Populist Narrative Online
Aleksejs Roslikovs transformed his detention by Latvia’s State Security Service on charges of assisting Russia and inciting hatred into a powerful social media narrative of political martyrdom, portraying himself as a persecuted victim fighting government oppression. His TikTok videos reframing the criminal investigation as evidence of his heroic resistance demonstrate how populist politicians can exploit legal troubles to strengthen their anti-establishment credentials and generate massive online engagement.
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Estonia Weekly: Kremlin Echoes Persist Over Church Law
Pro-Kremlin voices on Russian-speaking social media portrayed Estonia’s revised Churches and Congregations Act as continued state persecution of the Orthodox Church, reinforcing a narrative of religious oppression and general Russophobia. Simultaneously, they condemned the U.S. strikes in Iran as aggressive and hypocritical, using them to justify Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
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Lithuania Weekly: Pro-Kremlin Media Stirs Backlash Over Military Remarks
Kremlin-aligned media in Lithuania shifted focus to domestic issues, fueling outrage with a headline quoting Defence Minister Šakalienė on women in the military. The quote, taken out of context, sparked intense online backlash. President Nausėda was also targeted over a proposal for presidential benefits, framed as elitist and corrupt.
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Latvia Weekly: Pushing Anti-Latvian Narratives to Russian-Speaking Audiences
The “Antifascists of Pribaltics” Telegram channel portrays Latvia as systematically Russophobic. The channel also promotes conspiracies about Latvia being an EU puppet state as well as anti-Ukraine sentiments.
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Estonia Weekly: Middle East Tensions Fuel Anti-Western Rhetoric
A former journalist has been sentenced to six years in prison in Estonia for treason and for promoting Kremlin propaganda. Meanwhile, social media commentators accused the West of hypocrisy in the wake of Israeli attacks on Iran.
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Lithuania Weekly: Kremlin-Aligned Media Amplifies Anti-Ukraine Narratives
Pro-Kremlin voices in Lithuania reignited criticism of Ukraine and Lithuanian foreign policy following a major Ukrainian strike against Russian air forces. Malign actors mocked President Nausėda’s call for continued support to Ukraine and questioned NATO’s reliability, while pushing disinformation about looming civil unrest and vilifying the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union as a threat to national stability.
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Latvia Weekly: Roslikovs’ Outburst Sparks a Viral Storm
Party National Alliance and leader of Stability party Aleksejs Roslikovs created a major political scandal. The National Alliance proposed a declaration in the Parliament calling to restrict use of Russian language in public spaces (which was rejected by the Parliament). Roslikovs reacted to this proposal using inflammatory language and gestures in the Parliament. This incident clearly illustrates how nationalist and Russian political parties exploit each other’s actions to fuel both domestic tensions and Kremlin’s propaganda narratives.
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Estonia Weekly: Cultural Renamings and Climbing Unemployment Fuel De-Russification Fears
Pro-Kremlin commentators have criticized Estonia’s government for its worst unemployment rate in 12 years, citing targeted policies against Russian speakers and Russian culture in Estonia.
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Lithuania Weekly: Vaitkus Award Controversy Used to Undermine the Government
Kremlin-aligned media in Lithuania continued to amplify the fallout from Eduardas Vaitkus’s award revocation, portraying it as a symbol of authoritarianism and political bias. The narrative was echoed by publisher Vitas Tomkus, whose provocative protest framed state honors as tools of loyalty, reinforcing broader efforts to discredit Lithuania’s leadership and its Western alignment.
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