According to Dainius Radzevičius, Russia has for years masked its aggression under the rhetoric of fighting for peace, and Europe’s main mission is to recognize this narrative, strengthen societal resilience, and educate the youth to be ready to defend democracy, not trusting the aggressor’s “peaceful” statements.
The Lithuanian media ombudsman expressed these thoughts in an online address during a roundtable at Ukrinform on the topic: “Ukraine in the Great War with Russia: The Experience That Is Changing Europe’s Defense”.
Radzevičius noted that for many years, dating back to the Soviet era, Russia spread sensitive narratives claiming that its actions, including the deployment of troops, were supposedly peacekeeping in nature. In his view, this is now the main challenge in countering Russian propaganda and disinformation.
Context and Key Points
In this context, the expert stressed the importance of recognizing manipulative stories and boosting societal resilience, especially among young people, to preserve the transparency and values of democratic life.
“Europe, and especially the European Union, were created for peaceful people. I would say that this beautiful lifestyle is our main value. We have a generation of people who do not want to fight for anything. But when it comes to (Russian) propaganda about fighting for peace with the use of the army – this is a new narrative. We must talk about this with the younger generation who are ready to fight for democracy and freedom.”
– Dainius Radzevičius
According to studies in EU countries, in Northern Europe and the Baltic states, a significant portion of the population is ready to defend the country with arms, while in some Western European countries there is a growing expectation to avoid escalation and seek peaceful solutions.
“That won’t happen. I cannot provide you with concrete tools on how to fight such disinformation. But we, for example, have special lessons, programs, trainings for youth and games even with young children on the topic of hybrid attacks”
– Dainius Radzevičius
In summary, Radzevičius emphasized his mandate as an expert – to analyze the situation of Russian disinformation and to offer guidance on how to build dialogue with society and how not to trust enemies who talk about peace.
Topics of countering disinformation and strengthening national security remain highly relevant in the context of escalation and the global efforts to maintain stability in Europe.