Ads Federal District‘News has no borders’, an obscene slogan with which Mexicans are invited to engage with RT, Russia’s propaganda network. regimental campaigns Similar to attacks launched by relevant media against the Chilean president, which the Kremlin uses against its own political opponents Gabriel BoricHe is the only leftist leader in Latin America to condemn the invasion of Ukraine. former presidents populist ideology like Ecuadorians Rafael Correa become a part of it interviewer table international channel Vladimir Putin.
Scenes like this are unimaginable in the EU or the USA. to veto Moscow’s propaganda media continues to be prevalent in Latin America. Today, the Spanish-speaking continent from Mexico to Argentina constitutes an open and unlimited field for the Kremlin’s disinformation and interference campaigns. A collaboration led by RT’s Spanish branches and the Spútnik agency broad communication ecosystem created by columnists, bloggers anyone politiciansEnthusiastically supported by Russian embassies and disseminating and amplifying content and narratives pro-Russian, this organization contributes to the creation of an intellectual environment in the region that is allergic to Russia. Intervention in the Ukrainian conflict Yet Imposing sanctions on Russia. “They want neutrality; the lack of action by Latin American countries is a victory for them,” he confirms. Douglas FarahHe is president of IBI Consultans and co-author of ‘Russian influence campaigns in Latin America’, the latest and most complete report on the subject to date.
numbers
The figures regarding the weight of the RT-Sputnik duo in Latin America leave no room for doubt. According to another study by a Spanish researcher Daniel Iriarte Russian TV titled ‘Spanish RT: How Russian disinformation reached 500 million Spanish speakers’ was watched in 2018. 18 million people. Its influence on the networks is also considerable: in 2021, the Spanish RT account on Twitter reached: 3.2 million followersWas around when I was on Facebook 18 milliona figure similar to that of website visitors, the majority Mexican, Venezuelan, Argentina And Colombia.
Its impact beyond the audience is also measured by the message it conveys. Constella Intelligence, a company specializing in risks in the digital space, analyzed social media posts by RT and Spútnik about protests in different Latin American countries and concluded that demonstrations in states considered aligned with the West received much more attention: 6.5 entries every day Facebook And excitement About the protests in Colombia fly about those in Chile and 4.1 About those in Ecuador. On the other hand, these media almost ignored the actions of governments close to the Kremlin in Nicaragua or Bolivia: 0.3 And 1.4 daily tickets respectively.
It is also a back and forth phenomenon that feeds on itself. On the one hand, “governments” Radical left like the Kirchners in argentina or Rafael Correa In Ecuador, they are opening the doors and signing agreements to include RT in their programs,” says senior researcher Iria Puyosa. Digital Forensic Research Laboratory linked with Atlantic Council.
Vladimir Rouvinsky, director of the Department of Politics and International, explains that this large presence, along with the perception that it was a “legitimate” tool conveying a “different” point of view, influenced decisions about the war in Ukraine. Relations from ICESİ University, Colombia. This expert says that the Russian media and their allies “cast doubts, ensure that the United States or Europe is also to blame and that Putin is partly right, which limits the politicians who make the decisions.”
The narratives of this disinformation ecosystem are easy to digest and fertilized field on a continent fragile democracies and long thought back yard from the USA. “It sends the message that liberal democracy is nothing more than a tool for Washington to consolidate its hegemony and presents Russia as a friendly ally interested in regional development,” Farah said.
Russian platform in Nicaragua, Central America
A year ago, RT’s Spanish director, Victoria Vorontsova, landed in Managua with a team of collaborators. Your mission: implement a program “education” Local communicators, according to the official Nicaraguan press. The results of “this collaboration” are clearly visible, he denounced Javier Melendez, web security analyst Open File. Related Nicaraguan propagandists, such as William Grigsby of the Radio La Primerísima program, imitate their followers in style and content. homologues On Russian television Vladimir Solovyov anyone Evgeny Popov. Among other hoaxes, Grigsby claimed that at the beginning of the war Russian troops had destroyed “not a single town, not a single hamlet, not a single civilian building” in Ukraine.
NicaraguaA country ruled by family dictatorship Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario MurilloBelarus, where independent journalism ended and leading journalists went into exile due to the pressures imposed by the regime, bears great similarities to Belarus at present. Alexander Lukashenko. Actually, It became “Russia’s gateway to Central America” and channeled these propaganda strategies imported from Moscow to countries “like Honduras.” According to Meléndez’s calculations 1,500 and 2,000 Russians They work in the small Central American State; A very high number considering its size; They form part of intelligence services, instructor corps of local security forces or the cadre of workers in the mysterious Global Navigation Satellite System that Russia opened in 2017. inside Nejapa Lagoon, In Managua.
Mexico is the preferred target of Russian intervention
RT’s largest correspondent in Latin America is based in the Federal District. local They believe it is disproportionate to their workload. As soon as the decree is issued in EuropeExpulsion of more than 400 Russian diplomatsAccording to the journalist, the Mexican Government, headed by Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), increased the number of personnel with diplomatic passports working at the Russian embassy by 80%. Dolia Estevez A complaint he made on the EjeCentral portal earned him a massive smear campaign on networks supported by the diplomatic mission itself. For EL PERIÓDICO of the Prensa Ibérica group, the Mexican journalist recalls that it has a porous border with the United States and “one in three Mexican families with relatives” has a northern neighbor. Veronica CalderónIt is surprising that the Kremlin is focusing its propaganda efforts on the most populous Spanish-speaking country.
The consequences of this activity go beyond AMLO’s neutrality in the war in Ukraine. Circulation newspapers such asDay demonstrations clearly positive They used the same language as the Kremlin against Russia, going so far as to describe the conflict as a ‘special military operation’ for months. John M. Ackerman, college professor and columnist 800,000 followers on TwitterShortly after RT was banned in Europe, the newspaper published a column defending the network titled “We are all RT”. Until it’s prestigious Mexican Journalists Club has repeatedly awarded Russian media communicators. The award created a particular surprise Three RT employees in 2022 For his reporting on the “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Argentina, access to privileges that no one has managed to change
Former president of Argentina in 2014, Cristina Fernández de KirchnerHe announced the audiovisual cooperation agreement, which envisages the inclusion of RT in local programs, in a joint video conference with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Outdoor Digital Television. Since then, the controversial Russian government channel’s signal has been visible clearly and free of charge throughout much of the country. region of argentina. “So that all Argentines know the real Russia and all Russians know the real Argentina,” the former president congratulated. Passed eight yearsThe deal is being pursued despite being described by experts and lawmakers as a “privilege” enjoyed by Argentine taxpayers. Jose Crettaz, professor and researcher of Business and Media Economics and author of the newspaper ‘La Nación’, explains that RT is “transmitted throughout Argentina without any payment or compensation.” Despite the proliferation of digital television in Argentina limitedHe emphasizes that RT’s information was noticed on social networks and “caused controversy”.
attempts Mauricio MacriWhether Kirchner’s successor as president changed or ended this contractual relationship sparked a crisis between Moscow and Buenos Aires, including threats to cut off vital Russian meat exports to Argentina. There is RT Port of MaderoA highly staffed office in one of the most exclusive areas of Buenos Aires. “There was money everywhere; I will never get a salary like that again, we even had technology. Al Jazeera anyone TVE“, recalls a former producer who preferred to remain anonymous by phone from Argentina’s capital.