Kyrgyzstan, Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Slovakia – almost simultaneously launched or continued efforts to adopt four similar pieces of legislation. Identical and powerful disinformation narratives accompanied the entire process of enacting “foreign influence transparency” legislation in four different states.
On February 24, 2022, as Russian heavy machinery advanced towards Ukraine, politicians from European countries lined up to voice their support for Kyiv in its fight against the aggressor. However, just days after the full-scale Russian invasion, a statement from a Slovak politician sparked outrage amongst his European colleagues. Robert Fico, who in 2023 would become prime minister of the Central European country, compared NATO troops to Nazi forces and described the war in Ukraine as a conflict between the United States and Russia.
Fico was not the only European politician to take this line. On March 3rd, the leader of the Bosnian Serbs, Milorad Dodik, who is known for his close ties with the Kremlin, attempted to prevent Bosnia from condemning Russia’s aggression. According to local media reports, with the help of the Russian mission, Dodik sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General, requesting that the Bosnian ambassador be barred from voting on the resolution, arguing that there was no national consensus on a unified position.
Around the same time, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov stated that “Russia’s invasion was likely necessary to safeguard the peaceful population of Donbas.”
In these early days of the war, the Georgian government refrained from making such extreme statements. However, for many, both domestically and internationally, the remarks made by then-Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili were regarded as coming from the same playbook. “Taking into account our national interests and the well-being of our people, Georgia does not intend to participate in financial and economic sanctions (on Russia),” Garibashvili declared. Government-affiliated individuals argued that the West had left Ukraine to confront Russia on its own. Over time, the Georgian ruling party’s rhetoric towards Russia softened even further, while relations with the West clearly deteriorated.
As the war in Ukraine continued, these four places—Kyrgyzstan, Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Slovakia—once again drew international attention, as almost simultaneously they launched or continued efforts to adopt four similar pieces of legislation – the so-called ‘foreign agents’ laws’.
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