Watch the Recorded Webinar here.
During the last decade, it has become clear that Russia utilises a wide array of instruments to wage “political warfare” against the West. FIMI – foreign information manipulation and interference, i.e. manipulative, intentional and coordinated behaviour threatening to negatively impact values, procedures and political processes – is one such instrument. This webinar will showcase instances of Russia employing extremist narratives in its FIMI or “tasking” its extremist allies in the EU to act on its behalf while spreading disinformation in the online realm.
The webinar will focus on two case studies – 1. Russia’s usage of extremist FIMI or its work with local extremists in relation to a democratic election (May/June 2025 Poland’s presidential election); 2. Russia’s reliance on the local extremist scene to further augment its anti-Western FIMI (the case of the Slovak organization Brat za Brata or Brother for Brother). Furthermore, the webinar will also zoom in on the Russian ecosystem of online extremist doxing (the action or process of searching for and publishing private or identifying information about a particular individual on the internet, typically with malicious intent) which targets individuals from the West who fight for Ukraine. This, as was the case with the Ukrainian victims of Russian doxing, could have serious offline consequences for its victims. Moreover, the doxing’s content or the threat of being doxed could then be used to blackmail these individuals into doing Russia’s bidding and e.g. stage diversionary or sabotage attacks in the West.
This webinar will look at some of the lesser known tactics which employ extremist narratives but also “local,” i.e. Western, extremists as Russian disinformation and manipulation agents. Not only does the Kremlin attempt to influence the political processes on macro scale or poison our information flows with fake content but it also develops FIMI targeting our specific citizens who might then come to harm or be pressurised/blackmailed to do Russia’s bidding. At the same time, the Kremlin relies on its “fans,” gathered in different extremist organisations, to act as its mouthpiece in countries such as Slovakia. All of this adds to the already gloomy picture concerning the European, or for that matter – Slovak, preparedness to stem Russian disinformation efforts.
This webinar is organised with FRONTSTORY.PL, ICCT's partners in ANTIDOX project. ANTIDOX is supported by the European Media and Information Fund and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. The webinar is organised with the support of NEST Institute.
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