Ukrinform organized a roundtable entitled “Central Asia: media landscape and Russian influence”.
On August 20, Ukrinform hosted a roundtable entitled “Central Asia: media landscape and Russian influence”, coordinated by the Center for Strategic Communications and Intelligence Security (CSCIS) with the support of the Private Diplomacy Foundation.
The discussion was moderated by Maksim Vikurov, an analyst at the Center for Strategic Communications. Vikurov emphasized that CSCIS regularly hosts events discussing the impact of Russian propaganda around the world and ways to counter it, and has previously organized a series of panel discussions on the Arab world, Africa and countries of the Global South.
photograph
The Central Asian region, which includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, is of vital importance for Ukraine and its international relations.
“Moreover, we are connected with these countries by a common historical destiny: we were once under the control of monarchies and then Bolshevik Russia,” Bikhrov said.
Oleksiy Feshchenko, an analyst at the Private Diplomacy Foundation, has just published his report on “Russian Propaganda Influence in Central Asia,” analysing the media environment in each of the five countries in the region, highlighting their vulnerability to Russian propaganda and how Ukraine can use its “entrance points” to influence this.
photograph
The report highlights the growing role of social media networks in all five countries, despite limited access to the internet in some countries, which provides a useful platform for Ukraine to engage in dialogue and communication with Central Asian societies.
Feschenko commented: “Further research and building communication in the region holds great promise, especially in understanding how information policies are developing in these countries and how relations between Russia and the region are developing in this context. It is crucial for us to understand what is happening there, what is the agenda of Russian propaganda activities targeting these countries and what we (Ukraine) can do to counter Russian misinformation, and whether and, if so, in what ways we can counter this influence.”
Kazakh analysts participated in the roundtable via video link. Director of the Center for Political Studies at the Faculty of Political Science and Law of Almaty Business University, Danial Sari, shared his thoughts on the influence of the Russian Federation on the information environment in Kazakhstan.
“The influence of Russian mass media remains strong. Media outlets such as Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik actively promote their policies and influence public opinion in Kazakhstan. Russian propaganda often exploits historical and cultural ties between the countries to increase its influence, positioning Russia as a defender of traditional values and stability in the region. The trend of growing mass media influence is observed against the backdrop of geopolitical changes and increasing tensions in international relations,” the expert explained.
photograph
Laura Imangalieva of the Center for Political Studies at the Faculty of Political Science and Law at Almaty University of Management wrote a chapter in the report called “The Influence of Russian Propaganda in Central Asia,” focusing on Kazakhstan. The report's findings are based on public opinion surveys, particularly on how sensitivity to and consumption of Russian propaganda varies by age group.
“Respondents were divided into three age groups: young people aged 18-40, middle-aged people aged 40-60, and people over 60. The survey revealed that trust in Russian mass media and the information they perceive as 'objective' increases with age. This trend was particularly pronounced among people who regularly watch Russian state television, with 60% of them saying they completely trust Russian mass media.
This percentage is lower among Internet users – 35-40 percent. It is noteworthy in this regard that older people who experienced the Soviet era and grew up under the strong influence of the Soviet propaganda apparatus tend to trust state media (television and newspapers) more. In addition, limited access to alternative sources of information also contributes to the impact of Russian propaganda on the conscience and feelings of the people. To effectively counter the diverse and serious impact of Russian mass media propaganda on the population of the Central Asian region, it is necessary to build a network of independent and unbiased mass media, especially in Kazakhstan, and in the Central Asian countries in general, as well as to increase the level of media literacy of the population and produce more local content in national languages that are adapted to the characteristics of the local audience and regional characteristics. In addition to this, cooperation with international organizations and media security experts can contribute to the development of an effective strategy to counter the influence of propaganda and misinformation, “Imangalyeva said.
International policy analyst Vira Konstantinova expressed regret that since independence, the Central Asian region has not yet been the focus of expert research and studies in Ukraine, and even now it does not receive enough attention.
“The first and most positive development is that we have started thinking strategically. The next step is to conduct research. It is important that our experts have the opportunity to visit the Central Asian countries and verify for themselves or even refute some of the results of this research.”
photograph
“Central Asia before the full-scale invasion and Central Asia today are completely different worlds. And I want to emphasize that the people of the Central Asian countries have an awareness and understanding of the truth. So our strategic task is not to counter certain media propaganda, because in addition to Russian media propaganda, the region may be influenced by propaganda from other external actors. So we need to focus on the truth and communication about what is happening in Ukraine. That's what the citizens (of the Central Asian countries) want, and from my point of view, we, as experts, need to correctly assess the realities in the region and how we can help Ukraine address certain challenges using various tools, including public diplomacy,” she said.
Also commenting on the discussion were Chairman of the Foundation for Civil Diplomacy Fedor Lavrinenko, Chief Advisor of the National Institute for Strategic Studies Alina Hrytsenko, Founder of Active Group Andriy Eremenko, analyst of the United Ukraine think tank Dmytro Revs, Head of the Russia-Belarus Research Program at the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism” Yaroslav Chornohor, Director of the Political Research Center “Doctrine” Yaroslav Bozhko and CSCIS analyst Maxim Mayorov.
The full video of the roundtable can be viewed on Ukrinform's YouTube channel.
This article was compiled for Ukrinform by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security.
