The Elements of Russia’s Soft Power : Channels, Tools, and Actors Promoting Russian Influence in the Eastern Partnership Countries

Soft power can be exerted by a variety of actors using different channels and tools. This paper focuses on actors and channels transmitting Russian messages and discourses in the Eastern Partnership countries. It contributes to enhancing our understanding of Russian influences in the region in two ways. First, it maps the network of influential actors who have the potential to transmit Russian messages and target various audiences. Second, it offers a detailed analysis of the coverage of Russia (and the European Union (EU)) in one important channel for dissemination of information about Russia and the EU: popular TV stations in Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine. The analysis shows the presence of a wide variety of actors focusing on ‘compatriots’, religious bonds, and Russian-language speakers in the region, which reflects the key ideas of the ‘Russian World’ narrative. These actors promote Russia’s role as a centre of gravity and aim to appeal to Russians, Slavs and Orthodox Christians. This image of Russia, however, does not dominate the news programmes in any of the three countries. In Moldova and Ukraine, Russia is most often mentioned (negatively) in the context of security, while in Belarus it is covered more often than the EU in economy-related news items. Moreover, a large portion of the news about Russia and the EU has no positive or negative tone or is presented in a balanced way. In general, apart from what was conveyed by Russian TV channels, Russia does not have a more positive image than the EU in the news programmes in the countries we monitored. 4 | EU-STRAT Working Paper No. 04 | July 2017 The Authors Antoaneta L. Dimitrova is an associate professor at the Institute of Public Administration, Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, at Leiden University, and Acting Director of the inter-faculty Central and Eastern European Studies Centre. Her research covers, among others, the European Union’s Eastern enlargements, relations with Eastern Partnership states, democratization and administrative reform, coordination of EU policy making, and the implementation of EU directives. Her recent publications deal with the implementation of the EU’s rules in multiple level settings, citizens perceptions of EU enlargement and cultural heritage policy. Matthew Frear is an assistant professor at the Institute of History, Faculty of Humanities, at Leiden University. His research interests cover Russian and Eurasian politics and international relations, and comparative authoritarianism. He holds a PhD from the Centre for Russian and East European Studies at the University of Birmingham. His recent publications deal with the Eurasian integration process and contemporary Belarusian politics. Honorata Mazepus is a post-doctoral researcher at the Institute of Public Administration, Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, at Leiden University. She works on the EU-STRAT project and specializes in political legitimacy. Her research focuses on the role of fairness (distributive and procedural) in evaluations of political authorities by citizens in democratic and non-democratic political regimes, including post-communist countries. She holds a PhD degree from the University of Leiden, an MSc degree in Political Science Research Methods from the University of Bristol and an MA degree in International Relations with the focus on Eastern Europe from the University of Poznan. Dimiter Toshkov is an associate professor at the Institute of Public Administration, Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, at Leiden University. His research interests cover European Union politics and governance, comparative public policy and research methodology. His recent publications deal with the impact of the Eastern enlargement on the decision-making capacity of the EU, the effects of immigration on public support for European integration, and policy responsiveness in Europe. In 2016, his book ‘Research Design in Political Science’ was published by Palgrave Macmillan. The Elements of Russia’s Soft Power | 5 Maxim Boroda is director of the Ukrainian Institute for Public Policy. Since 2005, he has been coordinating and consulting international technical assistance projects in the fields of governance and economic development. From 2010 to 2012, Maxim was head of the Social Economy Program at the International Centre for Policy Studies and from 2011 to 2012 he worked as Deputy Director of the International Centre for Policy Studies. From 2012 to 2013, he was Director of the Economic Policy and Business Program at the Ukrainian Institute for Public Policy. Tatsiana Chulitskaya is a lecturer of Social and Political Sciences Department at the European Humanities University (Vilnius, Lithuania) and an expert of The School of Young Managers in Public Administration (SYMPA)/BIPART in Minsk. She defended her PhD dissertation entitled, ‘Narratives of Social Justice in Non-democratic Regime: Analysis of Belarusian Case’ at Vilnius University in 2014. Her research interests are focused on public policy and the analysis of the third sector, including the welfare regime. For five years she served as academic coordinator in the international educational project "Election Observation: Theory and Practice". Oleg Grytsenko is an analyst and researcher at the Ukrainian Institute for Public Policy. He holds master’s degrees in public administration and economics from Seoul National University and the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” and a bachelor’s degree in finance from the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”. He is involved in two projects: EU-STRAT and ‘Human Security and Conflict in Ukraine: Local Approaches and Transnational Dimensions'. Igor Munteanu acts as Managing Director of IDIS Viitorul, one of the oldest research and advocacy think tanks in Moldova. Munteanu is also teaching a Public Policy Course and PoliticalAdministrative Institutions at ASEM (Academy of Economic Studies in Moldova). The latest publication authored by Igor Munteanu is ‘Politici publice complexe’ (2016, Cartier Publishing House). Between September 2010 and June 2015, Munteanu served as E.P. Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the USA and Canada. He wrote and edited several studies and books on political transition. Between 1997 and 2005, Dr. Munteanu was involved as freelance political analyst with Radio Free Europe (RFERL). Munteanu designed and launched the publishing of the Arena Politicii Journal, as the first political sciences and foreign affairs journal in Moldova (1996-2000). In 2002, he pursued his PhD at the Law Department of ULIM. He also served as Political Advisor to the first President of Moldova during 1992-1994. 6 | EU-STRAT Working Paper No. 04 | July 2017 Tatiana Parvan is a researcher at the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul" in Moldova. After graduating from the Technical University of Moldova, she worked as a researcher from 2009 to 2012 at the Institute of Economy, Finances and Statistics (IEFS) of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova and the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Moldova. Tatiana Parvan was involved in a number of research projects such as "Politics, models and scenarios for economic growth of the Republic of Moldova" and "Elaboration of the protection model of interests of participants to the financial market of the Republic of Moldova". Ina Ramasheuskaya is a senior expert and research coordinator at The School of Young Managers in Public Administration (SYMPA) in Minsk. In this role she coordinates and carries out policy research recommending improvements to public administration in Belarus. Together with Dr. Dimiter Toshkov, she leads research on international scientific cooperation in the EU-STRAT project. She is also a guest lecturer in the Social and Political Sciences Department of the European Humanities University in Vilnius, Lithuania, teaching the course “Civil Service Systems and Reforms”. The Elements of Russia’s Soft Power | 7