RUSSIA’S FABRICATED NARRATIVES

Russia spreads disinformation, distorts history for its own political purposes and promotes hugely damaging false narratives and disinformation about neighboring countries. Russia engages in information warfare with the goal to divide and polarize society, tear it apart, fragmentize it, incite hatred and infighting, initiating a struggle for destruction, or fuse the aggression and direct it against the current government.

A narrative contains many stories, and  more importantly  it is an explanation of events in line with an ideology, theory, or belief, and one that points the way to future actions. Narratives make sense of the world, put things in their place according to our experience, and then tell us what to do. A strategic narrative aligns the strategy and the narrative so they become mutually supportive and integrated.

The Kremlin weaves fabricated stories into the web of parallel reality that is based not on facts but on its own strategic goals. These are not just random lies, but lies that support the strategic narrative.

In the process of creating narratives, Kremlin political technologists distort facts to fit their narratives; omit parts that do not fit into their narratives, or dismiss them whatsoever. The goal of the false narratives is to manipulate emotions and eventually hijack the individual and collective consciousness to alter the political landscape to benefit the Kremlin.

The narratives are disseminated into the information space using the old KGB-style tactics and methods such as “reflexive control”,” “information dumps,” “useful idiots” and infiltration of the western mass media.

1. Reflexive control” (RC) is  a psychological technology for influencing public consciousness. Reflexive control is defined as a means of conveying to an opponent specially prepared information to incline him to voluntarily make the predetermined decision desired by the initiator of the action. This method can be used on individuals and collectives, such as countries, nations, societies, and civilizations. It is particularly beneficial when applied to the governments and political leaders in order to inconspicuously alter their decision-making ability. If moderately successful, the method slows down the adversary’s policy-making and executive power. If triumphant, the power elite of the targeted country adopts decisions in favor of the adversary.
2. Information dump is information deliberately engineered to provoke “immediate response” leading to actions. A computer-generated psychological profile of the target includes the assessment of the subjects’ behaviors, self-awareness, and susceptibility to influences. A specially developed software is then used to explore various scenarios of information and psychological impact and the subjects’ reaction.
3. Useful idiots are an integral component of the political calculus of state propaganda, spreading the Kremlin’s output of official manure across the ripe fields of their own home nations under a homegrown label. A useful idiot is someone who is unwittingly manipulated by a foreign government to help a foreign government’s agenda, with the support of said foreign government
4. Infiltration of Western media: A major influence operation is systematically manipulating Western media to spread propaganda and disinformation that supports Kremlin interests