A monthly look at disinformation and hybrid threats across Central Europe, the Baltics and Romania.
You are reading the third issue of the Disinformation Monitor. It is published on a monthly basis and provides an overview of developments on the disinformation scene on NATO's eastern frontier.
The recent Russian drone incident in Romania highlighted differences across NATO's eastern flank. While the incident was taken seriously, not every country stood firm against the Kremlin, with Slovakia playing the role of the black sheep once again. Attempts to shift the blame towards Ukraine and play down the role of the actual aggressor, Russia, were observed across the region.
A sustained campaign of disinformation and misinformation followed the aftermath of a Russian drone striking a residential apartment building in south-eastern Romania. The main misleading narrative was that the drone was Ukrainian and that it was most likely part of a false-flag operation meant to drag Romania and NATO into a war with Russia.
The misleading narrative originated from several sources. Romania's far-right AUR party officially stated that it wanted a full investigation before it would condemn Russia for the drone crash. However, it did not condemn Russia even after the investigation had confirmed that the drone was, in fact, Russian. Its position was amplified online through social media groups controlled by or aligned with the party, shifting the blame onto Ukraine and promoting the false-flag narrative.
