Tag: foreign influence

Russian propaganda uses various forms of social media and channels to spread its propaganda. It is fighting a war in Ukraine, but also waging a hybrid war with many other countries. North Macedonia and the Balkans are the target of this propaganda, writes Truthmeter.mk. Under the content-sharing agreement between Truthmeter.mk and Meta.mk, we republish the text below:   Author: Goran Lefkov The social...

Unlike the influence of Russia and China in North Macedonia that – to a large extent – is disseminated on the basis of positive identification and desired and/or shared values, we might say that the influence realized by Bulgaria is based on narratives overflowing with rejection, denial, and even animosity, writes Truthmeter.mk. Under the content-sharing agreement between Truthmeter.mk and Meta.mk,...

One of the significant negative influences in North Macedonia that most frequently is entirely overlooked, is the influence of China. This influence becomes even greater in conditions of great corruption in the country, decreased trust of the citizens in the institutions and their ability to deal with the issue and somewhat of an institutional chaos stemming from the abuse...

Andrey Zakharov is an investigative journalist from the Russian service of BBC. He moved from Russia in November last year, when he was being designated as foreign agent in Russia, as many other journalists. He is currently living in one European country. In an interview for Truthmeter, he speaks about the Russian propaganda and the way it spreads, the...

Although N. Macedonia is historically, but also geographically oriented towards Euro-Atlantic values, the government led by VMRO-DPMNE and DUI led by the former Prime Minister, now asylum seeker Nikola Gruevski, often “flirted” with Russia. The overthrow of this government was not so easy, it was made more difficult by the Russian agents, who had a part in organizing the...

The cobweb of Russian influence in North Macedonia is also being built through science, education and culture. This is achieved by placing topics related to scientific, cultural and educational, as well as a religious community with Russia, joint appearances and celebrations of important dates said representatives of the academic community and media reactions related to celebrations, activities and concrete...

In general, I do not believe that the Russian disinformation campaign and the current support of the misperception about the war in Ukraine will affect the possible change of the foreign policy of N. Macedonia. There are currently no real opportunities for war in the Balkans. Russian disinformation by hybrid means continues to spread, giving a vain hope to...

Russian “troll farms” – organized online agitators identify complaints in other countries and then insert themselves in those debates in order to boost them. Instead of promoting a political ideology, professional Russian trolls focus on stirring up emotions over heated topics, such as gun control issues or immigration to the United States, to then turn Americans against Americans. The...

Ukraine Ambassador to North Macedonia, Natalia Zadorozhnyuk, speaking today about the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, said that it would not be an exaggeration to say that today the fate of the international legal order is being decided. In her speech at the panel discussion on “Ukrainian-Russian Crisis and North Macedonia”, she stressed that either we will live in...

One of the simplest ways to influence a wider number of people is to glorify a country. Positive glorification can evoke admiration, a sense of belonging and community, a sense of protection, an ever-present refuge, an alternative available to citizens and the state… This is especially possible in times of stunted development or unfulfilled expectations or dissatisfaction with speed...

It is frustrating to wait, but Western Balkan leaders need to reject proposals from foreign powers and maintain faith in EU membership, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama appealed in an interview with the Financial Times “Others can bring money, investment, maybe even caviar, but they will not be able to bring what you need to build a functioning free country,”...