The Lithuanian army warned about a sharp increase in Russian propaganda aimed against Lithuania and its allies, as reported by Delfi.
According to specialists from the Strategic Communications Department, a series of recent statements by Moscow officials is part of a coordinated attack aimed at manipulating public sentiment. The main tool of this campaign has been intimidation: the Kremlin is trying to artificially raise anxiety levels and create a sense of uncertainty among people.
Recently, Russian and Belarusian authorities have actively spread a fake story that the Baltic countries allegedly allowed Ukraine to use their airspace for drone attacks on Russian territory. This disinformation appears both on social media and in officials’ statements. In particular, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova directly threatened a “response” if Vilnius and its neighbors ignore Moscow’s warnings regarding Ukrainian drones. Military analysts are certain that these messages are meant to instill fear of possible military confrontation or Russian strikes on targets in the Baltic countries.
Threats of force have become a common propaganda method since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Experts say these attacks are calculated to undermine citizens’ will to resist, make them doubt the need to strengthen their own defense, and, most importantly, deprive Ukraine of support from the region’s population.
