Business, sport and Russia's information warfare

"For many years, the Russian Federation has been conducting a multilayered hybrid influence campaign against the Baltic states. Moscow relies on various instruments of "soft power": from economic presence to cultural and sports-related projects. The Kremlin actively exploits the ideology of the "Russian world" and the narrative of "protecting compatriots abroad" in an attempt to justify interference in the internal affairs of neighbouring countries."

"The information front plays a particularly important role in this hybrid strategy. Social networks have become a space of accelerated "militarisation", where limited regulation and open borders enable the unchecked spread of disinformation and hate. This is facilitated by networks of fake accounts and so-called troll factories. One of the most notorious examples is the "Olgino bot farm" in St. Petersburg (the Internet Research Agency, previously supported by the late founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin)."

"Such organisations have for years disseminated pro-Kremlin disinformation and attempted to influence audiences across the internet - including within the Baltic states. Beyond the media sphere, the Kremlin uses economic levers and sport as additional tools of influence. Investments and business ties frequently serve as a means of exerting pressure on elites or circumventing sanctions. Sport, in turn, has become a battleground of soft power: not only through cases where Russian oligarchs purchase foreign sports clubs,"

For many years the Russian Federation has conducted a multilayered hybrid influence campaign against the Baltic states. Moscow relies on instruments of soft power including economic presence, cultural initiatives, and sports-related projects. The Kremlin exploits the ideology of the "Russian world" and the narrative of "protecting compatriots abroad" to justify interference in neighbouring countries' internal affairs. The information front is central, with social networks enabling rapid militarisation, disinformation, and hate through fake accounts and troll factories like the Olgino bot farm (Internet Research Agency). Beyond media, economic levers and sports investments serve to pressure elites, circumvent sanctions, and project Moscow's interests, including within Lithuania.

Read at Business Matters