24 articles in a day: Regnum attacks Lithuania

On October 20 the Russian press launched a news campaign against the Republic of Lithuania.

During one day  Regnum news agency published a number of materials related to Lithuania, which demolish the state by spreading misinformation. Within 10 hours (in the period from 08:47 to 18:43), the site published 24 articles, 1 misinformation per every 25 minutes.

They are asking for more money in Lithuania to find fault with Russia

The material with this title was the first to be published at 08:47, in which the media reports about the Lithuanian parliament debates on the 2018 state budget. The news agency also quotes opposition delegate Zhigimatas Pavilenis speech, who complained of the ruling coalition, the amount of money to be allocated to country’s ministry of foreign affairs and demanded to provide more funding to the foreign ministry.

In other words, Regnum represents a classic democratic process, the opposition criticizes the government, but comments on the increase in the amount to be allocated to the MFA as an increase in the amount of money aimed to find fault with Russia.

2018 budget of Lithuania. Military budget and small amount of socio-economic budget

9 minutes later the next article, more impassioned and propagandistic, appeared on the site. Here the website details Lithuanian 2018 state budget.

The main indicators of the budget are: 2.9% GDP growth, 6.2% growth of average salary and 6.4% decrease in unemployment. In the words of the Prime Minister of the country Saulius Skvernyalis this budget is the first budget proficite since independence. It is expected that state revenues will exceed expenses by about 250 million euros.

Here, however, Regnum criticizes Lithuanian authorities for raising state military budget “in the background of poverty in the country”.

It should be noted that according to the World Bank data, GDP per capita in Lithuania is almost twice higher than that in Russia, and Russia military budget  is 69 times higher than that of Lithuania.

«Pathetic euro»

Here the author quotes critical statements against Lithuanian opposition figures, authorities. He then criticizes these figures accusing them of trading with the authorities.

As we have already mentioned the number of materials is 24. Let us list some of their titles.

«Lithuania is not interested in disabled people»,

«Totalitarianism in Lithuania has already launched: give everything to the state»,

«Lithuania is waiting for help in the war against Russia»,

«It is easy with the illiterate: Lithuania was proposed to abandon universities»,

«New market collapse, Saudi Arabia does not need Lithuanian butter»,

«Lithuania is about to lose 1 mln citizens»,

«Lithuanian liberals beheaded, the party is a harsh law-breaker».

The above is one of the best examples of information warfare. Such a “strategy” was used by the heavy artillery of Russian propaganda during the Russian-Georgian war of 2008 and is used to make the Ukrainian crisis desperate today.

Rafael Afrikyan