Are Russian Narratives Amplified by PRC Media? A Case Study on Narratives Related to Sweden’s and Finland’s NATO Applications
Are Russian Narratives Amplified by PRC Media? A Case Study on Narratives Related to Sweden’s and Finland’s NATO Applications

Author(s): Jerker Hellström, Matti Puranen, Santeri Kytöneva, Pekka Kallioniemi
Contributor(s): Merle Anne Read (Editor)
Subject(s): Media studies, Communication studies, Security and defense, Theory of Communication, Geopolitics, Russian Aggression against Ukraine
Published by: NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence
Keywords: Russian Narratives; Finland; NATO Applications; Sweden; Russian Aggression against Ukraine;
Summary/Abstract: After the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, state media in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Russian Federation have employed similar tactics in their information operations and have often disseminated similar narratives about the war. PRC state media, which insist on referring to the Russian aggression as the ‘Ukrainian crisis’, have among other things amplified conspiracy theories about purported United States (US) biological weapons facilities in Ukraine and spread Russian narratives claiming US and NATO culpability for the war. Moreover, Russian officials and commentators significantly outnumber their Ukrainian counterparts in the coverage of state-owned Chinese news organisations targeting foreign audiences, such as Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency, and China Daily.

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