In #EP 3, we discuss HWAG’s recent article: Taiwan: How an Island Democracy Resists the Propaganda Onslaught of Beijing and Moscow, in which the team analyzes:

How the results of Taiwan’s election may affect the island’s democratic information resistance

How China’s propaganda methods are evolving

Why the Kremlin is seeking justifications for its own aggressive rhetoric towards Taiwan

In this episode, we'll be delving into how deepfakes are not just a technological marvel but also a tool that nations, like Russia, are employing in the realm of propaganda. The intersection of fake news and AI has become a battleground where misinformation and manipulation thrive. 

Host: Varvara Shmygalova

Today, we will discuss how Russia exploits cybersports and video games to spread propaganda and gain benefits in the international arena. Also, we want to underline how Moscow uses the Russian club’s victories to empower its own authority. 

Host: Matt Wickham

Today, we will discuss the “trilateral initiative” of Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania to clear sea mines in the Black Sea. According to Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev, the operation aims to create a security belt for civilian shipping. The importance of this format is driven by the need to secure a corridor for Ukrainian grain exports. 

Also, we want to analyse the strategic impact on the regional security situation and Ukraine’s potential role in facilitating the operation.

Host: Varvara Shmygalova

In this episode, we will reveal and analyze the key aspects of the alternative reality that the Russian Federation has created around its cooperation with the DPRK, using Kim Jong-un's recent visit to Russia as an example. We will also decipher the messages that the Kremlin is attempting to convey to the international community through its cooperation with North Korea. 

Host: Matt Wickham

In this episode, we will explore how Russia leverages its school education system, particularly through recent educational reforms, to shape school children into compliant Russian subjects, preparing them to serve as obedient soldiers who, without hesitation, may be deployed to the frontlines of current and future wars initiated by Russia. Our focus will be on the reintroduction of Initial Military Training in schools, as a response to Russia's failures in Ukraine, and the youth groups designed to curb critical thinking and instill loyalty to the state!

Host: Varvara Shmygalova

Today, we will discuss the Russian-Armenian information struggle and how the Kremlin propaganda machine tries to benefit from returning Karabakh under Azerbaijan control.  So please take a deep breath, buckle up and delve into the Russian vision of their influence in the South Caucasus region!

Host: Matt Wickham

In this episode, we will explore how  Russia distorts history with its recent adaptation of Russia's history textbook written for 11th grade students. This revised edition places special emphasis on the decades following World War II, the establishment of the new international order, and the twenty-first century, a time frame that includes the so-called "Putin era."