German support for the Ukrainians’ struggle has decreased since April. Then 12 percent of those asked said that Russia was forced to go to war, now 19 percent say the same. This is revealed in a survey carried out by the German CeMAS, Center für Monitoring, Analyze und Strategie. More and more Germans are thus giving up on Russia’s view of the background to the war, the survey shows. – It is about spreading a narrative among the Germans, that the support for Ukraine is not legitimate, and that Russia had good reason to attack, says Robin Allers. He researches German and European security policy at the Department of Defense Studies. – This opinion poll seems to show that the proportion of Germans who believe in the Russian-made history is increasing. – It is about establishing a narrative that the support for Ukraine is not legitimate and that Russia had good reason to attack, says Robin Allers. Photo: press image, the Armed Forces 33 percent blame NATO for the war, one in three respondents in eastern Germany blames NATO for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while 16 percent in western Germany share this view. The report concludes that the Russian influence campaigns have a greater impact in the East. In Russian propaganda, you can hear the story of Vladimir Putin fighting a global elite that runs a game behind the scenes. 27 percent of East Germans believe that this is the case, while 16 percent of West Germans are of the same opinion. In Russian propaganda, you can hear the story of Vladimir Putin fighting a global elite that runs a game behind the scenes. Photo: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP Russia has lost face This is about a story telling that Russia has lost face after the fall of the Soviet Union, says Jens Fauth in Berlin. He belongs to the group of Germans who do not support this theory. He can still understand that more Germans do it. – There is a narrative that the way NATO is expanding eastwards has led to Russia losing its pride. In any case, it has not helped to integrate Russia to the west. – If you ask people if NATO is partly to blame, I think many will say yes. Although I don’t agree with them, says Fauth on the phone from Berlin. Photo: private He says that he believes that this narrative may be the starting point for the fact that there are Germans who blame Nato for the war. – If you ask people: is NATO partly to blame? Then I think many people will say yes. Although I don’t agree with them, says Fauth on the phone from Berlin. A cloned article from the German newspaper Welt, article units “Who benefits from a weak Germany” and is a translation of a Russian propaganda website. Photo: Institute of Strategic Dialogue Fake profiles and cloned newspapers In September this year, what is considered to be the biggest Russian disinformation campaign since the start of the war was successfully exposed. 60 serious media, among which Welt, Spiegel and the British The Guardian were cloned. Articles taken from Russian propaganda channels were published on the fake websites. These articles were then spread by 1,633 fake Facebook profiles and hundreds of fake Twitter accounts. Then the same messages were shared by real Germans, says Eskil Grendahl Sivertsen at the Defense Research Institute. – We find it easier to share cases uncritically, if the content of the cases confirms views that we have had before, in which we are strongly committed. – Those behind the Russian propaganda operations know that there are environments that are more receptive to certain types of messages. They use these environments purposefully so that they spread the Russian message to other parts of the population, says Sivertsen Photo: Norwegian Defense Research Institute Sivertsen works with cyber propaganda and influence. He says that several of the messages were shared by Thomas Fetsch, a politician who represents the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany party in Hesse. – Those behind the Russian propaganda operations know that there are environments that are more receptive to certain types of messages. They use these environments purposefully, so that they spread the Russian message further to other parts of the population. In addition to fake news articles, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue revealed that Russia has spent $100,000 placing ads on Facebook and Instagram. – The ads try to fuel the Germans’ anxiety about the rising gas prices. They often use humor and sarcasm. Because Facebook has a lot of information about users, the ads can be specially adapted to target groups and thus become much more affective, says Sivertsen. – The ads try to fuel the Germans’ anxiety about the rising gas prices. Because Facebook has a lot of information about users, the ads can be specially adapted to target groups and thus become much more affective, says Sivertsen. Spread of fake news CeMAS believes the results of the survey give cause for concern and calls for a debate in Germany on “how to meet the growing flood of disinformation”. German researchers who monitor Russian campaigns say they have observed 700 such between 2015 and 2021. After the start of the war, the next campaigns have been exclusively about Ukraine. – The narrative in the Russian propaganda is that the Germans are freezing because of Ukraine, says Julia Smirnova at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue in Berlin. – Now that winter is just around the corner, this can hit home with people who are legitimately concerned, says the researcher to the German broadcaster DW. German electricity prices have skyrocketed, many Germans blame the war in Ukraine. Photo: JOACHIM HERRMANN / Reuters Parties on the far right – Russia has increased the pressure on Western countries, including Germany, says Robin Allers to news. He says that the proportion who supported the Russian view of the war corresponds to the proportion who vote for parties far to the right. In the past, several of these parties also received financial support from Russia, which has become more problematic now. – It can be a tool for an increasingly pressured Russia to influence the Western government through pressure on the population. So that the countries give less support to Ukraine. Although the proportion of those who do not want Germany to continue supporting Ukraine in the war is increasing, the parties in power in the country still support the Ukrainians’ fight against Russia. – In the German government, support for Ukraine is rock solid, says Allers. They are nevertheless concerned that the campaign could lead to social unrest. – The situation is serious. Our intelligence reports have shown that pro-Russian actors are organizing on social media such as Telegram. The aim is to poison the debate and divide the population, says Konstantin von Notz MP for the Greens to DW. War versus high electricity prices The war has meant that the gas supply from Russia to Europe has practically stopped. For Germany, which has made itself dependent on Russian gas, this has been particularly painful. The price of gas has skyrocketed. Nevertheless, a majority of Germans believe that they still support the war, even if it leads to an increase in electricity prices. In a poll published by the TV channel ZDF in September, seven out of ten Germans answered that they still support Ukraine, even with the increased electricity prices. – Everyone has the right to demonstrate against the price increase. But we must all: politicians, journalists, citizens, be aware that we can be used by people who do not want our society well, parliamentarian Notz told DW.
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Every third East German supports Putin’s view of the war – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
