A public event was held at the De Balie cultural center in Amsterdam, focusing on the impact of Russian propaganda on society, the information war, and the challenges facing democratic countries in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
According to a Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague, participants in the discussion addressed the mechanisms of disinformation dissemination, the role of social media in shaping public opinion, and ways to counter manipulation and fake Russian narratives.
"One of the key objectives of Russian propaganda in the Netherlands is to worsen attitudes toward Ukraine in order to weaken public and state support for Ukrainians. Russia systematically attempts to undermine public opinion and uses every opportunity to do so,“ said Ukrainian activist and city council member of the Dutch city of Dordrecht, Vita Kovalenko, in a comment to Ukrinform after the event. She is also the author of the book ”The Truth Under Fire" in Dutch, which covers the war in Ukraine and Russian propaganda.
During the event, participants discussed the miniseries Onze man bij de vijand [“Our Man Among the Enemy”], filmed by Dutch journalist Thomas Erdbrink and director Roelof van Bokhoven, who, in violation of Ukrainian law, illegally visited Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, including Mariupol.
