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Narrative Report “Migration Crisis on the Border of Belarus with Poland, Lithuania, Latvia”

Belarus Strategic Communications Centre

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Narrative Report “Migration Crisis on the Border of Belarus with Poland, Lithuania, Latvia”

Executive Summary

This report, authored by the Belarus Strategic Communications Centre, investigates an orchestrated campaign of disinformation and manipulation by the Belarusian regime and its allies. This campaign weaponises migration as a tool to destabilise European democracies while shaping domestic and international perceptions to serve authoritarian agendas.

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The report explores key narratives propagated by Belarusian state media, including shifting responsibility for the crisis to Western nations, demonising neighbouring EU countries, and fabricating allegations of human rights abuses by EU border authorities. These narratives aim to discredit the EU, amplify internal divisions, and project Belarus as a humanitarian actor amidst a crisis it deliberately instigated.

Key Insights:

  • State-Orchestrated Disinformation: Belarusian media frames the crisis as a consequence of EU policies, absolving Minsk of responsibility while portraying Western nations as aggressors and violators of human rights.
  • Hybrid Warfare Tactics: The regime leverages emotionally charged stories to incite division within the EU and weaken its global image.
  • Humanitarian Implications: Vulnerable migrants are used as pawns, highlighting the urgent need for international solidarity and accountability mechanisms.

Acknowledgements:

The Counter Disinformation Network (CDN) is a collaborative platform that gathers more than 150 information manipulation-countering practitioners from over 30 civil society organisations, universities, news organisations, fact-checking organisations and independents mostly from Europe and North America. The network was initially convened by Alliance4Europe with the aim of protecting European democracy and information integrity. The network works to coordinate projects, respond to major events and crises, distribute research findings to actors who can use it, and facilitate exchange.

Funding Disclaimer:

This report is a public task financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland within the grant competition ‘Public Diplomacy 2024-2025 – the European dimension and countering disinformation.’

The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the official positions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

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