A Few Observations About State-Centric Online Propaganda

TL;DR

This study analyzes pro-Kremlin propaganda from 2015 to 2021, revealing target audiences, geographic focus, thematic trends, and the impact of digital shifts on propaganda volume and content.

Contribution

It provides a detailed observational analysis of state-centric online propaganda, highlighting geographic, thematic, and temporal patterns over a six-year period.

Findings

Propaganda targets both domestic and foreign audiences.

Most discussed regions include Russia, Ukraine, US, and parts of Europe.

Propaganda volume decreased after 2016 but increased again with Ukraine conflict.

Abstract

This paper presents a few observations about pro-Kremlin propaganda between 2015 and early 2021 with a dataset from the East Stratcom Task Force (ESTF), which is affiliated with the European Union (EU) but working independently from it. Instead of focusing on misinformation and disinformation, the observations are motivated by classical propaganda research and the ongoing transformation of media systems. According to the tentative results, (i) the propaganda can be assumed to target both domestic and foreign audiences. Of the countries and regions discussed, (ii) Russia, Ukraine, the United States, and within Europe, Germany, Poland, and the EU have been the most frequently discussed. Also other conflict regions such as Syria have often appeared in the propaganda. In terms of longitudinal trends, however, (iii) most of these discussions have decreased in volume after the digital tsunami in 2016, although the conflict in Ukraine seems to have again increased the intensity of pro-Kremlin propaganda. Finally, (iv) the themes discussed align with state-centric war propaganda and conflict zones, although also post-truth themes frequently appear; from conspiracy theories via COVID-19 to fascism -- anything goes, as is typical to propaganda.