Russia and China are the most active states in spreading disinformation in Czechia, the head of the country’s counterintelligence service, BIS chief Michal Koudelka, said at a conference focused on hybrid threats in Prague on Tuesday.
China, which has been targeting people in the Czech Republic with its disinformation activities for a long time, has orchestrated serious attacks, the BIS director said.
However, “the biggest risk for the Czech Republic is, of course, the Russian Federation,” he added.
Both countries focus on anti-government propaganda, criticisms of Prague’s support for Ukraine and the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine on the economy. Pressure has even increased quite significantly after Czechia’s involvement in aid to Ukraine.
Koudelka added that Czechia had seen less impact of anti-Israel propaganda from Hamas or Iran than some other states, Czech News Agency reported.
On a more general note, Koudelka pointed to a spontaneous and fragmented disinformation environment in the country, noting that “narratives beneficial to Russian interests are freely inspired and spontaneously adopted.”
But politicians, individuals and non-profit organisations have started to fight back, said Koudelka, pointing to Czechia’s increased efforts to combat disinformation.
According to the BIS director, the only way to counter disinformation is for generally respected and reputable personalities to tell the truth simply and understandably.
In the long term, the best defence is an educated society.
(Ondřej Plevák | Euractiv.cz)
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