In December 2023, the Council of the European Union launched negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. At the same time, in a number of EU countries, the voices of opponents of EU expansion, in particular due to the accession of Ukraine, are frequently heard. Russia uses these sentiments to exert destabilizing influence over European countries and meddle in EU states’ internal affairs.
Russia’s particular interest is in undermining trust between Ukraine and neighbouring countries in the EU. In this way, Moscow seeks to undermine arms deliveries and hinder Ukrainian exports.
Therefore, Ukraine Crisis Media Center would like to bring to your attention an analytical note “Undermining Ukrainian European Integration: Discrediting Attempts in the Information Space of Romania and Bulgaria” in the framework of the project “Paving Ukraine’s Path to the EU: Informational Dimension“.
The note focuses on the vulnerability of the information spaces of Bulgaria and Romania in the context of the topic of Ukrainian European integration.
Within the framework of the note such issues were analyzed:
Anti-Ukrainian Narratives in the Bulgarian and Romanian informational space since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war
Attempts by pro-russian forces to discredit the idea of Ukraine’s European integration
Challenges countering Russian propaganda and disinformation in Bulgaria and Romania
The following experts and consultants contributed to the report’s creation:
Roberta Raducu, PhD, assistant professor at the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, communication expert with New Strategy Center (Romania), Igor Fedyk, Head of the South Eastern Europe Section at the New Geopolitics Research Network (Ukraine-Bulgaria), Volodymyr Solovian, PhD, Head of Hybrid Warfare Analytical Group at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
On May 31, 2024, the main results of the note were discussed at the public online discussion organized by the Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
Expert Speakers: Roberta Raducu, PhD., assistant professor at the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, communication expert at the New Strategy Center (Romania), Igor Fedyk, Head of the South Eastern Europe Section at the New Geopolitics Research Network (Bulgaria), Rumena Filipova, Director of the Institute for Global Analytics (Bulgaria), Plamen Dimitrov, Editor-in-chief of the “Bulgarian army” newspaper (Bulgaria), Răzvan Ceuca, External relations expert at the New Strategy Center (Romania), Ecaterina Dadiverina, International relations expert at the New Strategy Center (Romania).
Moderator: Volodymyr Solovian, PhD., Head of Hybrid Warfare Analytical Group at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
The analytical note “Undermining Ukrainian European Integration: Discrediting Attempts in the Information Space of Romania and Bulgaria“ was presented during the event.
The analytical note and the event were compiled with the support of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation within the framework «European Renaissance of Ukraine» project. Its content is the exclusive responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation.
Source HWAG/UCMC. The article was prepared for publication by volunteers from the Res Publica - The Center for Civil Resistance.
