9 January 2025, 14:30 – 15:30 CET

How are Russian proxy websites and social media channels shaping the narrative around EU elections? What strategies has Russia employed to bypass restrictions on state media?

This session examines the extent and nature of Russian online influence operations surrounding the EU elections. With RT and Sputnik facing restrictions, this webinar explores the strategies employed by Russian proxy websites and social media channels to fill the gap. Stephen Hutchings and Vera Tolz from the University of Manchester share key findings from a new report assessing the impact and effectiveness of these operations, and present conclusions and recommendations for monitoring and countering Russian influence.

Watch the replay to learn more:

Speakers:

Vera Tolz, Sir William Mather Professor of Russian Studies, The University of Manchester

Vera Tolz is Sir William Mather Professor of Russian Studies at the University of Manchester, UK. She has published widely on various aspects of Russian nationalism and the relationship between intellectuals and the state in the imperial, Soviet and post-Soviet periods. She has also conducted research on Soviet and Russian political communication strategies. She recently completed an AHRC-funded collaborative research project on broadcasting and audience engagement strategies of RT (formerly Russia Today). Her new co-authored book Russia, Misinformation and the Liberal Order: RT as a Populist Pariah is published by Cornell University Press this year in 2024. She is currently pursuing a collaborative AHRC-funded project ‘(Mis)translating Deceit: Disinformation as a Translingual, Discursive Dynamic’. (for details, see https://www.mis-translating-deceit.com).

Stephen Hutchings, Professor of Russian Studies, The University of Manchester

Stephen Hutchings is Professor of Russian Studies at the University of Manchester and Fellow of the UK’s Academy of Social Sciences. He has published or co-published seven monographs and five edited volumes on various aspects of Russian literary, film and media studies with presses including Cambridge University Press, Cornell University Press and Routledge, as well as many articles in journals ranging from Cultural Studies, Television and New Media, Journalism, and European Journal of Cultural Studies, to Slavic Review. He has held 8 large research grants with the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council since 2000. He was President of the British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies from 2010-2013.

Moderator:

Alexandre Alaphilippe, EU DisinfoLab

Alexandre Alaphilippe is the Executive Director and co-founder of the EU DisinfoLab. Since 2017, he has coordinated work on some of the organisation’s largest investigations into Information Operations linked to Russia, India and China. In 2022, he led the exposure of Doppelganger, which has been labeled as one of the largest information operation from Russia in the past years. He is a member of a number of working groups in Brussels and Washington DC linked to platform regulation, transatlantic relations, and hybrid threats, where he emphasises the role of civil society in maintaining democratic values. He has published papers for the Brookings Institution and his work has been featured on CNN, BBC, Le Monde and Politico. 

The opinions expressed are those of the speakers/authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of EU DisinfoLab. This webinar does not represent an endorsement by EU DisinfoLab of any organisation.