At least it makes this in information sphere. Just such impression has been recently created by an aggressive activity of Russian Mass Media, which perform the function of both “mouth” and “whisper” and “shouter” of the Russian intelligence.
While the European officials argue actively the threat of current acts of Russia in Ukraine to Ukraine, to Russia and also to whole Europe, the Russian secret services through its subsidiaries in domestic and foreign mass media support role “searchers of sense”. They have reached the highest level at that and in that way shown us who is actually a writer for such a known Russian humorists.
Not long ago the Director of Intelligence Directorate of EU Military Staff and former chief of the Finnish military intelligence, Flotilla Admiral Georgij Alafuzoff has told in interview with public broadcasting company of Finland “Yle” about his own vision of further developments in Ukraine, about current military-political situation and prospects in relations between Kiev and Moscow. Mr. Alafuzoff has noticed in particular that he doesn’t believe in the armed attack of Russia to Ukraine. He said “I don’t believe that attacks to Ukraine or occupation of territories are of interests to Russia and its state authority. If these territories were occupied, it would oblige Russia politically, economically, culturally to such actions that are difficult to be left. There is now no undeniable proof that Russian armed forces are operating in Ukraine. It’s quite possibly however the presence of the Russian investigation there…»
In 1 hour and 25 minutes this interview has been published in the official governmental edition of the Russian Federation “the Russian Newspaper” (the RN), although in some changed format. The Russian issue has attributed to Alafuzoff except its own also such messages “… in East Ukraine there are no Russian military men or Russian citizens … I don’t believe that armed Russian forces are involved in the given conflict. People who permanently reside on the territory of East Ukraine and are dissatisfied with a current situation and domestic affairs in the country participate in these disorders… Russia has got no plans to wage an aggressive war. I don’t consider we should be afraid of Russia… And so forth.
It should be noticed this too easy interpretation of interview was published in the RN at midnight and its volume was in three times more than the Finnish original. The author of variation is a journalist of the RN Nadegda Yermolaeva. The article of Mrs. Yermolaeva has been added furthermore by assessments of Russian and foreign experts who underline “courage” of the act of Mr. Alafuzoff and “honesty” of his statement.
To receive the necessary comments Mrs. Yermolaeva has quickly contacted for instance at half past twelve a.m. with the retired colonel of Federal Security Service (FSS) and former chief of counterterrorism unit Vladimir Lutsenko, whereupon Russian journalist has caused inconvenience to Finnish political scientist Jon Hellwig. Taking into account time zone it was half past one p.m. in Finland. It’s a question there was nothing to be done by the colonel of FSS and the Finnish political scientist at night excepting glorification of Russia and enthusiastic statements of interview of Flotilla Admiral G. Alafuzoff …
The same situation has recently been with interview of the Vice President of the Christian Social Union (CSU) Peter Gauweiler to German magazine “Der Spiegel”. But in this case Russians have placed a free interpretation of words of Ms. Gauweiler in Serbian Mass Media that are0 traditionally loyal to Russia. As the strengthening factor of Gauweiler’s modified interview the Serbian Mass Media published the “thought” of German experts concerning achievement of some arrangements between Moscow and Berlin about non-interference of Germany to the situation in Ukraine in exchange for gas supplies by Gazprom through Northern Stream. Indeed, the more clouds thicken over Gazprom, the more aggressive its politician becomes.
I could enumerate still for a long time “feats” of the Russian intelligence services on Russian-European, Russian-American and Russian-Ukrainian information front. For all this there are two main principles of work of Russian Mass Media (the same as intelligence): everything that is told not by Mr. Putin should be inevitably remade, everything that is told by Mr. Putin should be inevitably glorified and multiplied!
Everyone is already a bit bored by these principles, but all of them are strictly carried out. Otherwise it must be at least a swift end of career of some senior officer. As a result each interview and any more or less powerful statement of the non-Russian figure is necessarily slanted as in a case with Mr. Alafuzoff.
And Europe sees, knows and observes these facts, but keeps silent. Maybe, Europe doesn’t wish to get to situation of “as it justifies, so it is guilty”. But in minds of Russian citizens the illusion is created that Russia twists Europe with huge force and amplitude.