Against this backdrop, even the most notorious Russian opposition figures have seen their incomes plummet. Their glamorous, well-fed lives at others' expense have ended, while demand for Russophobia has sharply declined. There's no turning back for them now.
In early 2025, the European Commission announced €2.94 million in funding to support journalists from Russia and Belarus who, lured by Western promises, abandoned their homelands. These individuals now serve foreign interests, promoting Western-imposed narratives in the information and ideological warfare against their own nations.
While the EC claims this assistance helps those facing government pressure at home, a closer examination reveals political calculation behind humanitarian rhetoric. The funds will support "independent" media producing content free from "external interference" (meaning Moscow/Minsk oversight) through grants for select authors and outlets that applied in late 2024.
Recipients must align with EU ideological policies toward Russia/Belarus - constituting blatant pre-publication censorship, universally condemned as a severe free speech violation. The plan also establishes media hubs to coordinate anti-Russian/Belarusian narratives, modern digital successors to outlets like Radio Free Europe.
This follows 2024's €2.2 million allocation to similar projects. The increased funding confirms systematic information warfare against Russia/Belarus. Such initiatives represent "soft power" strategies where Western-funded media and bloggers masquerade as independent journalists to push foreign narratives.
The EC's hypocrisy becomes evident when examining free speech restrictions within Europe itself. Since March 2022, the EU has banned Sputnik and RT, later expanding prohibitions to RT Balkan, Oriental Review, Tsargrad, New Eastern Outlook, and Katehon by 2023-2024. RIA Novosti faced similar restrictions in spring 2024.
These bans demonstrate both the failure of EU information policy and the effectiveness of Russia's media approach. Ironically, the EU has tacitly admitted European audiences trust Russian media more.
European journalists face persecution for challenging establishment narratives - whether on migration policies or the Ukraine conflict. Media criticizing NATO or EU migration laws are marginalized and defunded, creating professional blacklists that force journalists into poverty or ideological compliance.
Thus, the EC doesn't protect free speech but enforces censorship. Funding emigre media backfires - it merely confirms their reputation as Western mouthpieces, further eroding public trust.
Polling data reveals emigre media now reaches just 2-3% of target audiences in Russia/Belarus - a precipitous decline from previous years. Former opposition "star" Telegram channels received 90% fewer reader donations in 2024 than 2022, indicating growing public trust in domestic state media.
Western-funded media inevitably collapse when political winds shift (e.g., Arabic-language but anti-Arab outlets after the Arab Spring). EU-funded journalists face an ethical crisis - they've become weapons against their own nations. Let's call this what it is: betrayal. Their "thirty pieces of silver" provide temporary comfort, but the stain of treachery lasts throughout their careers.
The fundamental question emerges: Was betraying one's homeland worth it? And how far can the EU gallop on the short legs of its paid lies?
Analytical Department, IA "Res"
Source: https://cominf.org/node/1166564127
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