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Pro-Kremlin disinformation sources in Slovakia are increasingly focusing on climate change and European Union (EU) climate action. One of the strongly resonating topics in recent months has been the ban on the sale of internal combustion engine cars in EU member states from 2035 adopted in June. Political actors characterised the measures as Russophobic and as detrimental to the EU economy and citizens, stoking fears of energy shortages and falling standards of living using manipulative techniques and argumentative fallacies.
The politically sleepy summer ended abruptly on Saturday (4 September), with a large anti-government on Wenceslas Square in the center of the capital Prague. The underlying theme of the demonstration, which counted some 70 thousand participants, were increasing prices and the current government’s inability to solve them’ protesters called for for the government's resignation and early elections. However, the list of demands presented by organizers from the initiative "Czech Republic First" (Česká Republika na 1. místě) was broader. The manifesto published on their website included a grab bag of demands including lowering prices of gas by direct contracts with suppliers – namely Russia – and "liberation from submission" to the EU, WHO and UN along with military neutrality. The most controversial demand was the termination of the "planned dilution of the nation", which in practice means preventing Ukrainian refugees from staying on Czech territory.
As part of efforts to wean itself from Russian energy, the European Union has been looking to alternative sources such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), imported from the US, among others. Pro-Russian and disinformation actors downplay the importance of diversifying energy sources and suppliers, spread false claims, and sow fear and chaos in the Slovak information space.
The European Green Deal, a political initiative of the European Commission aiming to reach climate neutrality by 2050, became a target of disinformation in the Czech information space already in early 2021. It became a polarizing issue especially prior to the Czech parliamentary election in October 2021. This year, the debate around the Green Deal acquired a new dimension due to the unprovoked Russian aggression against Ukraine and the associated issue of energy dependence and diversification. Moreover, with the Czech presidency of the EU Council in July, the Czech debate about the Green Deal is expected to intensify in the upcoming months.
Since they came to power in 2010 and 2012 respectively, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and President Aleksandar Vučić have developed a strong political partnership. Both leaders have been classified as illiberal, populist, and authoritarian by international organizations, such as Freedom House and V-Dem Institute. These characteristics can partially explain their inclination to cooperate, especially in the context of criticism coming from the European Union.
Coverage of the 2022 Hungarian parliamentary elections in Hungarian- language media in Serbia