Magistro baigiamajame darbe išanalizuotas Baltijos valstybių įvaizdžio formavimas šiuolaikinėje Rusijos Federacijos internetinėje žiniasklaidoje, nagrinėjama, kaip Baltijos valstybių įvaizdis keičiasi keičiantis Rusijos užsienio politikai. Pirmoje darbo dalyje aptariamas žiniasklaidos vaidmuo šiuolaikiniame pasaulyje, nagrinėjama žiniasklaidos svarba, internetinės žiniasklaidos vaidmuo, masinės informacijos priemonių panaudojimas informaciniame kare. Antroje dalyje pateikiama Rusijos Federacijos politikos Baltijos valstybių atžvilgiu raida, aptariama kuo pasižymėjo ir kaip keitėsi Rusijos Federacijos užsienio politika valdant Borisui Jelcinui ir Vladimirui Putinui. Trečioje dalyje nagrinėjamas Rusijos Federacijos politikos Baltijos valstybių atžvilgiu atspindys internetinėje žiniasklaidoje, aptariamas informacinio karo, kaip politikos vykdymo priemonės panaudojimas, analizuojama, kaip kuriamas Baltijos valstybių įvaizdis per pagrindinių problemų internetinėje žiniasklaidoje pateikimą, pateikiami socialinių apklausų rezultatai, nusakantys, kaip keitėsi Rusijos piliečių nuomonė apie Baltijos valstybes keičiantis Rusijos užsienio politikai ir žiniasklaidos pateikiamam Lietuvos, Latvijos ir Estijos įvaizdžiui. / This master’s final work covers the analysis of the Baltic States’ image which is being formed by the contemporary Russian Federation’s mass media on the internet. Also, the present paper focuses on the change of the image of the Baltic States which is changing together with the foreign policy of the Russian Federation. In the first part of the work there is a consideration of the mass media’s role in the contemporary world, using the mass media as a tool in the information warfare. The second part of the work points out the development of the foreign policy of the Russian Federation in relation to the Baltic States; the consideration unfolds how was changing the foreign policy of the Russian Federation during the governing of Vladimir Putin and Boris Yelcin. In the third part of the work the research is carried out on the reflection of the foreign policy of the Russian Federation in connection with the Baltic States which has been placed on the internet. Moreover, the use of the information warfare as a tool of politics is discussed. Also, this part of the paper analyzes how the image of the Baltic States is created through the presentment of the main problems on the internet’s media. Public opinion polls reveal how the Russian Federation citizens’ opinion about the Baltic States is changing together with the foreign policy of the Russian Federation.

This study takes a qualitative approach to contextualizing and examining the communication of the so-called Kremlin trolls on Twitter, in relation to two major political processes that occurred in 2016, namely the Brexit referendum and the U.S. presidential election. Moreover, the study examines the news media of the two respective countries’ portrayal of the “Kremlin trolls”. The study assesses and problematizes mainstream application and contemporary usage of terminology in relation to two phenomena central to this thesis, namely: “Kremlin trolls”, and “fake news”. The study reconceptualizes the respective concepts into the “Kremlin meddlers” and “deceitful news”, as it was found those terms more accurately reflect both phenomena. Two sets of empirical data are examined in the thesis, one of which consists of 62 posts derived from 14 accounts of the Kremlin meddlers’ Twitter accounts. The other consistsof 30 articles stemming from 10 different news outlets, 5 of which were U.K. news outlets and 5 U.S. news sites, covering the political spectrum from one end to the other. The study applies one theoretical framework toexamine both sets of empiricaldata, namely Teun van Dijk’s Critical Discourse Analysis. The Kremlin meddlers’ Twitter accounts used two strategies to influence the electorates of both countries, one of which was to hide under the guise of pseudonyms impersonating actual citizens of the two nations. The other strategy employed by the meddlers was to maintain accounts that simulated news outlets, acting and appearing much like a legitimate news outlet would on the platform. The communication of the Kremlin meddlers was primarily aimed atsupporters of the ideological right by (re)producing discourse highly critical of the ideological left, this is particularly so for the Twitter accounts seeking to impersonate actual people. The pursuit of ideological polarization is centralin their communication.In the news media’s portrayal of the meddlers,differences are foundacross the ideological spectrum. The study identifies three themesin the discourse; one portraying the meddlers’ in a humanizing view, one creating a Them vs. Us categorization between Russia and the West, and the last focusing on the meddlers’ impacton democratic processes. Intrinsic to all of the themes is the (re)production of elite discourse, primarily seen through the selective use of voices from the symbolic elite to construct the social reality.

Ce travail est consacré à la résurgence du socialisme dans la Russie post-soviétique de 2008 à 2017 à travers le prisme des nouvelles technologies de l’information et de la communication. Il se présente sous la forme d’une chorographie réticulaire des communautés virtuelles socialistes disséminées à l’intérieur du segment russe de l’Internet et d’une typologie politique comprenant 66 organisations partisanes emblématiques de la complexité et de la diversité de ce champ politique. Pour ce faire, nous avons examiné les conditions du renouveau du socialisme en Russie depuis l’éclatement de la crise bancaire et financière mondiale de 2008 (néolibéralisme, globalisation, démocratie de marché). Cette période coïncidant également avec l’arrivée au pouvoir de Dmitrij Medvedev, porté par une politique de modernisation, nous avons observé que ce phénomène allait de pair avec le développement de nouveaux outils multimédias permettant aux militants et sympathisants socialistes de reprendre le contrôle de leurs narrations et de se définir de façon autonome à partir des territoires informationnels qu’ils occupent dans le cyberespace. Enfin, nous avons vu que les lignes de fracture inhérentes au socialisme russe étaient en train d’évoluer consécutivement à la transition vers la postmodernité, de sorte que de nouveaux clivages et de nouvelles configurations identitaires sont en train d’apparaître en son sein. Ces antagonismes affleurant par la pratique de la communication politique en ligne jusque dans les utilisations que les socialistes font de la musique, nous avons souligné que ceux-ci participent de manière polémologique à la production de visions alternatives de la réalité. / This work deals with the resurgence of socialism in post-Soviet Russia from 2008 to 2017 through the lens of new information and communication technologies. It is composed of a reticular chorography showing the socialists virtual communities spread in the Russian segment of the Internet and a political typology including 66 partisan organizations all representative of this political field’s complexity and diversity. With this aim in mind, we studied the conditions of the revival of socialism in contemporary Russia since the financial and economic crisis of 2008 (neoliberalism, globalization, market democracy). This period coinciding with the accession of Dmitrij Medvedev to the presidency through a project of political and social modernization, we observed that this phenomenon was going in hand with the development of new multimedia tools allowing the socialist activists and their sympathizers to take back the control of their narratives in the informational territories they occupy in the cyberspace. Finally, we observed that the fracture lines inherent to the Russian socialism were on the verge of changing due to the transition to postmodernity because new ideological splits and new political identities are now emerging in these territories. The given narrative antagonisms being emphasized by the practice of online political communication (including the uses Russian socialists make of music in their virtual communities), we point out that they actually contribute to the production of alternative visions of reality in a polemological way.

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of diploma thesis ‚Seek Russians behind everything: Critical research of "Russian disinformation campaign" discourse in the Czech republic'. Author: Bc. Adam Čech Supervised by: Dagmar Rychnovská, M.A., LL.M., Ph.D. Study programme: International relations Year of work defence: 2019 This study researches the "Russian disinformation campaign threat" discourse, that was established in the Czech republic since 2014. The study utilizes a method termed for the purpose of this work as "lesser discourse analysis". It explores the origins and influences that played a role in creation of a specific understanding of the topic. Subsequently it engages in a critical analysis of the discourse and assesses whether the understanding of the Russian hybrid threat, especially regarding the disinformation, is legitimate and based on known facts and correct interpretation of them, or whether it is not (partially) based on delusions, myths, logical shortcuts, misinformation (or possibly disinformation) on part of the creators and active participators of the discourse. The study also presents a set of recommendations to "straighten" the discourse on this important topic. The study engages in analysing of the process of the agenda-setting regarding the topic through the lenses of "securitization theory ". It identifies...

This diploma thesis analyses the phenomenon of the Russian information warfare targeting the Baltic states - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. In five chapters the thesis initially theoretically examines phenomenon of the information warfare itself, specifically its typical components and advantages because of which the Russian Federation uses it. After that, the thesis estimates conceptual preconditions and incentives in the Baltic region due to which Russia implements the information warfare specifically in this region. The information warfare in this sense is understood as the psychological pressure onto the society of Baltics, hence, as one of the tools to enforce the interests and goals of the Kremlin's official foreign policy, because the initiators of such information campaigns are the Russian state media or their proxies. Third, in the empirical part, based the conceptually determined factors and particular events related to them, thesis thoroughly deals with discourses and narratives spread through the Russian and pro-Russian media operating in the Baltic states. More specifically, the analysis conducts research of the content of these narratives, their rhetoric, specific features, context and possible impacts onto the society in the Baltics. The goal of this thesis is to analyse thoroughly...

Particle Swam Optimization (PSO) is especially useful for rapid optimization of problems involving multiple objectives and constraints in dynamic environments. It regularly and substantially outperforms other algorithms in benchmark tests. This paper describes research leading to the application of PSO to the autonomous asset management problem in electronic warfare. The PSO speed provides fast optimization of frequency allocations for receivers and jammers in highly complex and dynamic environments. The key contribution is the simultaneous optimization of the frequency allocations, signal priority, signal strength, and the spatial locations of the assets. The fitness function takes into account the assets' locations in 2 dimensions, maximizing their spatial distribution while maintaining allocations based on signal priority and power. The fast speed of the optimization enables rapid responses to changing conditions in these complex signal environments, which can have real-time battlefield impact. Results optimizing receiver frequencies and locations in 2 dimensions have been successful. Current run-times are between 450ms (3 receivers, 30 transmitters) and 1100ms (7 receivers, 50 transmitters) on a single-threaded x86 based PC. Run-times can be substantially decreased by an order of magnitude when smaller swarm populations and smart swarm termination methods are used, however a trade off exists between run-time and repeatability of solutions. The results of the research on the PSO parameters and fitness function for this problem are demonstrated.

This paper examines Russian broadcast media's disinformation strategies after the Ukraine invasion in 2022. In the past decade, Russian disinformation has been recognized by scholars and policymakers as a danger to European security and order. And it has made it harder for Europeans to access reliable and factual information. However, much research thus far has been conducted when the war in Ukraine was different in proportion, and where disinformation functioned as the foundation for small-scale military action. Now that the war has evolved, disinformation strategies have evolved with it.  In this paper, I applied Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to twenty articles from three internationally oriented Russian broadcasters: RT, Sputnik, and TASS. This revealed two major themes in disinformation narratives: positive Self-representation and negative Other-representation. I demonstrate in this research that Russian disinformation is no longer used to hide Russia’s direct involvement in Ukraine, but that it is used to present justifications for the invasion and further military actions.  Moreover, the research illustrates that the relationship between information warfare and conventional warfare is symbiotic and that contemporary disinformation strategies have been adjusted so that they can benefit from the current circumstances in Ukraine. Ultimately, in this research, I determine that Russian disinformation strategies have evolved since the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and are now altered to align with the Kremlin’s aggressive military tactics.

<p>I USA infördes begreppet informationsoperationer i mitten av 1990-talet och det har sedan dess skett en stor utveckling inom detta fält. Även i den svenska Försvarsmakten har konceptetinformationsoperationer införts och en utveckling och uppbyggnad av förmågor inom detta koncept pågår. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka huruvida konceptet informationsoperationers uppkomst i Försvarsmakten kan utgöra ett exempel på idéspridning. Utgångspunkten är att USA som en av världens ledande försvarsmakter är trendsättare för andra försvarsmakter i västvärlden, däribland den svenska Försvarsmakten. Med utgångspunkt i teorin om idéspridning undersöks om den amerikanska idén om informationsoperationer har spridit sig och snappats upp av Försvarsmakten som sedan översatt idén efter sina egna förutsättningar. Uppsatsen beskriver informationsoperationers uppkomst i USA och hur begreppet har fått fäste och utvecklats i Försvarsmakten. Vidare beskrivs hur idén tagit organisatorisk form i Försvarsmakten i syfte att utifrån teorin om lokal översättning undersöka hur detta skiljer sig från det amerikanska konceptet. I slutsatserna konstateras att teorin om idéspridning är tillämpbar i det här fallet och att det också skett vissa anpassningar av idén när Försvarsmakten implementerat den i sin egen organisation.</p> / <p>The concept of information operations was introduced in the US in the middle of the 1990’s and has since that time developed and a lot of things have happened in that field during the last decade. The development of information operations is going on in the Swedish Armed Forces as well. The purpose of this essay is to study whether the introduction of the concept of information operationsin the Swedish Armed Forces can be seen as an example of the spreading of ideas according to new institutional theory. With the premise that the US, with one of the worlds leading armed forces, functions as a trend setter for other nations in the western part of the world this essay investigates if it is the American idea about information operations that has been adopted by the Swedish Armed Forces. Furthermore it investigates whether the idea, if it has been adopted, has been copied or translated to fit the new organization. The essay starts with describing the concept of informationoperations in the US, how it was introduced and how it is currently used. Then follows a presentation about how information operations, as a concept, has developed in the Swedish Armed Forces. Differences between how the concept of information operations has been implemented in the organizations is presented and discussed in order to try the theory about local translation of ideas. The major conclusions is that the concept of information operations’ introduction in the Swedish armed forces can function as an example of the new institutional theory about the spreading of ideas and that there has been some adaptations of the concept in order to fit the organization.</p>

I USA infördes begreppet informationsoperationer i mitten av 1990-talet och det har sedan dess skett en stor utveckling inom detta fält. Även i den svenska Försvarsmakten har konceptetinformationsoperationer införts och en utveckling och uppbyggnad av förmågor inom detta koncept pågår. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka huruvida konceptet informationsoperationers uppkomst i Försvarsmakten kan utgöra ett exempel på idéspridning. Utgångspunkten är att USA som en av världens ledande försvarsmakter är trendsättare för andra försvarsmakter i västvärlden, däribland den svenska Försvarsmakten. Med utgångspunkt i teorin om idéspridning undersöks om den amerikanska idén om informationsoperationer har spridit sig och snappats upp av Försvarsmakten som sedan översatt idén efter sina egna förutsättningar. Uppsatsen beskriver informationsoperationers uppkomst i USA och hur begreppet har fått fäste och utvecklats i Försvarsmakten. Vidare beskrivs hur idén tagit organisatorisk form i Försvarsmakten i syfte att utifrån teorin om lokal översättning undersöka hur detta skiljer sig från det amerikanska konceptet. I slutsatserna konstateras att teorin om idéspridning är tillämpbar i det här fallet och att det också skett vissa anpassningar av idén när Försvarsmakten implementerat den i sin egen organisation. / The concept of information operations was introduced in the US in the middle of the 1990’s and has since that time developed and a lot of things have happened in that field during the last decade. The development of information operations is going on in the Swedish Armed Forces as well. The purpose of this essay is to study whether the introduction of the concept of information operationsin the Swedish Armed Forces can be seen as an example of the spreading of ideas according to new institutional theory. With the premise that the US, with one of the worlds leading armed forces, functions as a trend setter for other nations in the western part of the world this essay investigates if it is the American idea about information operations that has been adopted by the Swedish Armed Forces. Furthermore it investigates whether the idea, if it has been adopted, has been copied or translated to fit the new organization. The essay starts with describing the concept of informationoperations in the US, how it was introduced and how it is currently used. Then follows a presentation about how information operations, as a concept, has developed in the Swedish Armed Forces. Differences between how the concept of information operations has been implemented in the organizations is presented and discussed in order to try the theory about local translation of ideas. The major conclusions is that the concept of information operations’ introduction in the Swedish armed forces can function as an example of the new institutional theory about the spreading of ideas and that there has been some adaptations of the concept in order to fit the organization.