2023-09-28 08:00:00
Recent diplomatic incidents involving the Government of Canada are fueling disinformation campaigns in Russia and India, with both countries seeking to take advantage of the situation to further their interests.
The Canadian Parliament’s ovation for Yaroslav Hunka, a Ukrainian veteran of a Nazi unit during the Second World War, was on everyone’s lips internationally this week. For Russia, it was a golden opportunity to once again push the false idea that the invasion of Ukraine is in fact an operation against Nazism which is said to be endemic in that country, according to Russian President Vladimir Poutine.
We know that many Western countries, including Canada, have a younger generation who do not know who fought who and what happened in the Second World War. These young people know nothing about the threat of Nazism, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this week.
This may result in Nazism reappearing here or there. We see now that it is practically trying to take shape in the center of Europe, in Ukraine, and we are fighting against it relentlessly, he added.
In fact, the far right remains marginal in Ukraine and the importance of the phenomenon is mainly amplified by Russian propaganda, as explained in this Radio-Canada article published at the start of the war. For example, the presidential candidate of the far-right Svoboda party received only 1.62% of the vote in the last Ukrainian election. Not to mention that the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is himself Jewish and members of his family have been killed in the Holocaust (New window).
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Yaroslav Hunka, right, sits in the guest gallery at the House of Commons and awaits the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, September 22, 2023.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Patrick Doyle
The denazification narrative plays a central role in Russia’s intentions for Ukraine over the past decade, says Ian Garner, a historian and specialist in the translation of Russian propaganda. What happened in the Canadian Parliament is the best gift we can give to Russian propagandists, who have been saying for years that Zelensky is secretly a Nazi.
This is deeply embarrassing for Canada and for Zelensky. The government has done so much work over the past few years to present him as a Jewish man, who is a native Russian speaker, who unites different sectors of the Ukrainian population…and this is happening when he visits a country that is an ally, laments Mr. Garner.
Russia has redoubled its propaganda efforts to capitalize on the situation in recent days. On Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry, for example, shared on its social networks a caricature in which we see Yaroslav Hunka, Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland all together making a Nazi salute under a round of applause.
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On Tuesday, X accounts (formerly Twitter) linked to the Russian government also claimed that the Ukrainian postal company had just launched a stamp which paid tribute to Yaroslav Hunka with the slogan heroes do not die, supporting photo. This fabricated story was taken over by several Western accounts (New window) widely followed on the platform.
According to Ian Garner, who closely monitors trends on Russian social networks, propaganda related to the Yaroslav Hunka incident is very effective in Vladimir Putin’s country.
Indian disinformation traveling to Canada
Tensions between Canada and India have been at their peak since Justin Trudeau raised “credible” allegations that India sponsored the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.
Since the Prime Minister’s outing, the Indian media attack Canada head on (New window). The Hindustan Times for example claimed without foundation (New window) that NDP leader Jagmeet Singh – who is of Sikh faith – pulled Justin Trudeau’s strings into making the allegations public.
As is often the case with the media in India, we seek to demonize anyone who goes against the government or is concerned about justice or the country’s democratic values, summarizes Rupinder Liddar, doctoral student at the Department in political science from McGill University, which recalls that India ranks 160th out of 180 (New window) in the most recent world press freedom rankings from Reporters Without Borders.
Ms. Liddar observes that this story is now being portrayed as rising anti-India sentiment in the Indian media, which is a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 2024 elections. We are likely to see gains for him in the polls, she believes.
Indian disinformation came to a head this week when former diplomat Deepak Vorha declared in a television interview (New window) that when Justin Trudeau came to India for the G20 this month, his plane was full of cocaine, according to credible rumors. Sniffer dogs would have discovered the substance, according to Mr. Vorha.
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Former Indian diplomat Deepak Vorha (right) claimed Justin Trudeau’s plane was “full of cocaine” when he landed in India for the G20.
Photo: Screenshot
The story caused a stir in India, in addition to being picked up in Canada by the daily newspaper The Toronto Sun. The original headline of his article was: Trudeau’s plane had cocaine during G20, says former Indian diplomat, but it was later updated to emphasize that the prime minister’s office had denied the story, calling it misinformation.
CBC journalist Evan Dyer, who was on board Justin Trudeau’s flight as part of his G20 coverage, also denied the story on his X account (New window), ensuring that no sniffer dogs had been seen on board. It’s embarrassing that this article was published, he added.
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