Analysis of the EU Countermeasures vis-à-vis Russia’s Information Influence Activities in the Western Balkans

Sammanfattning: The European Union is challenged by systematic, well-resourced, and large-scale information influence activities emanating from Russia. Kremlin’s disinformation and propaganda activities discredit the EU reputation, erode Western values, and impede European integration. Russia’s use of information operations traces back to Soviet propaganda. As propaganda is an old concept, there is overarching literature addressing techniques, tools, as well as social, cognitive, and political effects of propaganda. However, less research has conducted to analyze the counter-strategies in the face of information campaigns, and there are even fewer studies addressing the context of the Western democracies. Given the self-image of the EU based on Western values, this research aims to understand the nature of the EU response to Moscow’s disinformation and propaganda. A qualitative case study of the Western Balkans is chosen to illustrate the information battlefield between the EU and Russia. To answer the research question, this paper applies a constructive understanding of the democratic deterrence theory. The theoretical discussions guide the development of the analytical framework, which is used to categorize the EU counter-approaches. The research method is a document analysis that allows examining the deliberate public communication of the EU attitude. The study conclusion is that the Union adopts diverse approaches to counter Russia’s information influence activities. The Western Balkans are on the agenda of the EU, and most of the Union’s counteracting efforts are extended to the region. The research results also reveal that the EU response to Kremlin’s information operations primarily incorporates elements of increasing the defense capacity rather than relying on aggressive measures. This could be explained by the fact that EU official documents are carefully formulated not to contradict the Union’s identity and values.