Opinion – Latinoamérica21: Russian Twiplomacy in Latin America

The “special operation in Ukraine”, in addition to being a war strategy abroad, has also been a strategy on social networks, particularly on Twitter and Telegram.

Through official account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia in Spanisha warlike-nostalgic and diplomatically alternative propaganda narrative was published.

The Russian government relied on the Twitter accounts of its embassies in Uruguay, Venezuela, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Mexico, Nicaragua, Spain, Ecuador, Cuba, Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina (the latter is the only one with a Russian language account), along with alternative media and journalists, and took the opportunity to continue reaffirming its interest in positioning itself in the region.

The strategic use of social networks (with propagandistic purposes) by States has expanded the informative reach of foreign policies.

This phenomenon is known as public diplomacy or digital diplomacy, whose main objective is to improve the state image on an international scale.

Since 2012, the multinational public relations, marketing and and communication BCW has documented the behavior of governments, political leaders and international organizations on Twitter, a phenomenon known as twiplomacy.

According to that agency, this platform has become the first source of information that users around the world turn to to access political statements firsthand and without intermediaries.

#DigitalDiplomacy in the Andes

The contents published by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from January to September 2022 are divided into two major themes: warlike-nostalgic propaganda and the alternative diplomatic agenda to the United States.

Regarding the first, a series of tweets were produced that seek to highlight the decisive role of the Soviet Union in the liberation of Europe from National Socialism, with the well-known victory day.

There are also tweets about the space program’s accomplishments during the Cold War, such as the 1961 voyage of Yuri Gagarin, who was the first human to completely orbit the Earth.

The report also tries to highlight the technological contributions that Russians have made to society, such as the iconic vehicle Lada Niva. However, this type of content does not have a big impact on networks.

On the other hand, publications corresponding to an alternative agenda to NATO have sought to contradict the organization’s narrative of some historical events.

In March, some tweets highlighted the organization’s “moral doubles” by mentioning the bombing of Yugoslavia.

From the Russian perspective, this was the first armed invasion of a sovereign state in Europe since 1945, eroding the international security framework established since the Second World War.

Furthermore, this military intervention on humanitarian grounds legitimized the use of force by Western states, thus going against the principle of non-interference.

Furthermore, these accounts try to counter Russia’s culpability in this war. The communication strategy focused on labeling the “Western” causes of this situation as uninformative facts or myths.

In January, six tweets were published denying Russia and blaming NATO and the United States. In them, they alleged that, due to Western support for Ukrainian nationalists since 2014, Russia was forced to intervene for the safety of residents of Crimea and Dombas.

In July, the alleged global economic consequences of the War in Ukraine were contradicted, particularly those related to the food crisis pointed out by the World Bank.

Finally, content was published denying the alleged Russian military actions against civilians in the cities of Bucha, Kiev and Odessa and claiming that it was a disinformation provocation by NATO to justify sanctions against that nation.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also launches itself against the United States, alluding to its military, political and economic interference in the region.

In this sense, it publishes content about the military actions of the American giant in 1846 in Mexico, the coup d’état orchestrated by the CIA in 1954 with the objective of overthrowing President Juan Árbenz in Guatemala, and the “military occupation of Haiti” from 1915 to 1934.

Regarding economic interference, there have been repeated tweets questioning both the economic embargo on Cuba and the economic sanctions imposed on Venezuela.

The account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also gives visibility to the strengthening of diplomatic relations between Russia and the countries that resist the US mandate.

Fragments of alleged phone calls between Vladimir Putin and the presidents of Cuba, Venezuela and Brazil were published, highlighting the economic and political support.

Dates on which countries in the region recognize the Soviet Union as a state and the relationships established are also constantly celebrated.

In September, a series of publications were produced “on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN”, the meetings between Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov and his counterparts in Venezuela, Cuba, Brazil and Bolivia.

Virtual influence?

Russian digital diplomacy in Latin America is in line with its foreign policy interests, which, in addition to seeking to strengthen relations with allied states such as Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Argentina, and challenging the position of the North American giant, also seeks to reach Spanish-speaking citizens.

For this, Russia quickly adapted to social networks, increasing its presence on the internet and using simple language, accompanied by explanatory or satirical images that are more attractive to the public.

Despite efforts to influence the region, the popularity and interaction of Russian publications among users is still very low.

_{Translation of Giulia Gaspar}