Opinion: Belarus, Russia need to team up to counter disinformation

“The bulk of confrontation today is, indeed, happening in the information space. The use of force, armies against a state is an extreme measure. Now the main task of our opponents is to take control over the minds of our citizens through various channels of communication,” Aleksei Avdonin noted.

According to him, NATO countries are now actively implementing the concept developed against the Soviet Union in the middle of the last century. Its methods and forms are changing, but the goal remains the same - to undermine the trust of citizens in the state, discredit the authorities, encourage citizens to take to the streets and, as a result, control street protests.

“We have seen this happen not only in Belarus and Russia, but also in other post Soviet Union countries. Therefore, for us the signal that Russia and Belarus will work together to counter disinformation is important and essential,” the analyst stressed. “We must admit that the Russian Federation has a lot of experience in this area, and we must definitely work very closely with Russian colleagues, draw on their experience and develop the common information space, protect it and prevent foreign channels from hijacking the minds of our citizens."

We need to identify any structures that affect the information flows and to stop their activities. This should be done within the framework of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, Aleksei Avdonin noted.