Estonian PM urges EU to devise lasting strategy against Russia
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Getty Images)
The European Union should prepare for the fact that Russia is planning a long-term war against Ukraine. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a plan for a long struggle, including against the disinformation spread by the Kremlin, according to an article by Estonian Prime Minister Kaija Kallas for RND.
"A quick victory is out of the question, so you need to have a plan for a long fight. Uncertain times are fraught with many traps," Kallas emphasizes.
According to her, one such trap is the "trap of hope", namely the false expectation of a quick end to the war.
"When people ask me about Ukraine's counteroffensive, I always remind them that it has been going on since February 24, 2022. There is also hope for negotiations. This is the hope that our agreement to a successful land grab in the 21st century will satisfy Russia's appetite. The desire to negotiate comes from those who want to stabilize relations with Russia at any cost," the Estonian prime minister says.
She also adds that the Russian leadership wants to change the perception of the war in the West by threatening and propagandizing nuclear war.
"This leads us into a trap of self-restraint caused by the fear of escalation. Because of this fear, some argue that helping Ukraine defend itself against aggression means escalation. My response to this is that defense is not provocation. It is not resistance that provokes Russia - it is weakness that provokes Russia," Kallas emphasizes.
In addition, according to her, there is a trap of disinformation on the part of the Kremlin.
"On the one hand, there is a conventional war against Ukraine. On the other hand, there is the Kremlin's shadow war, in which disinformation and data warfare are another important front. The Kremlin's disinformation campaign reaches a huge audience through social media - it is literally in our pockets, phones, and apps," the Estonian prime minister adds.
In her opinion, Russia's campaign is aimed at preventing democratic leaders and societies from supporting Ukraine, provoking internal political divisions, and influencing democratic votes.
Russian disinformation
On December 6, the Center for Countering Disinformation reported that Russia is preparing a disinformation campaign against Ukraine's top leadership.
As part of the campaign, the Russians want to publish a series of disinformation materials against the military and political leadership of Ukraine, which will be published on English-language resources.
In a commentary to RBC-Ukraine, Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, said that the Russians wanted to focus on surnames. The intelligence service does not disclose who exactly will be targeted by the information attack.
Yusov emphasized that Russia wanted to weaken Ukraine's position in the world and split the coalition.
