EDITORIAL ⟩ End to Kremlin propaganda!

"Let's just fill this box with goodies and it will go to Europe for consumption." – "Beautiful!" Photo: Urmas Nemvalts.

• It is possible to limit Kremlin propaganda.
• Russian TV channels are not journalism.
• Latvia has been more active than Estonia in restricting Russian propaganda channels.

The failure of the Estonian state apparatus to limit the spread of Russian propaganda channels in Estonia is clearly a security issue, demonstrating on the one hand the complexity of the task, but also the little contribution of the state to eliminating Russian propaganda channels.

​Even before the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022, many warned that banning Russian propaganda channels in Estonia would be like carrying water using a sieve, as other means of viewing the channels that disappeared from cable television would be found. But that doesn't mean that nothing should be done.

First, it must be reiterated that Russian propaganda channels are not journalism. They are controlled by the Kremlin and operate against all journalistic ethics, advocating the killing of Ukrainians and others. For example, threatening with nuclear weapons is not only the domain of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, but such ideas are also found on Russian television channels.

Postimees writes in its article how many people use IPTV, or Internet Protocol television, to access banned Russian TV channels. This raises the question of whether something should also be done about popular sites where Kremlin propaganda can also be found. And those who offer access to Kremlin propaganda channels in Estonia.

However, studies have shown that restricting Russian propaganda channels has had an effect. About a year ago, for example, Propastop, a volunteer group that deals with Russian information warfare, wrote that a study published in October 2022 showed how the restrictions reduced web traffic to the Kremlin propaganda channel RT by 75 percent. This was a pan-European study, but the Postimees article also contains a reference of the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA), according to which 36 percent of non-Estonians considered Russian TV channels important at the end of January 2022, but this share has fallen by now.

At a time when Russia intends to organize – and has already organized – various acts of sabotage in countries supporting Ukraine, including Estonia, it is clear that the Estonian state needs to establish itself more strongly.

Therefore, banning and restricting have a clear effect. Latvians have been more active here than we have, detaining a person who helped 50 people watch Russian propaganda channels. Latvian police also conducted searches in the homes of five people and found IP television equipment that enabled to watch 2,700 channels.

At a time when Russia intends to organize – and has already organized – various acts of sabotage in countries supporting Ukraine, including Estonia, it is clear that the Estonian state needs to establish itself more strongly. Russia is a warring state and, in addition to the conventional war in Ukraine, is using hybrid and information warfare in countries hostile towards it. In addition to security, there is also the issue of the state's presence – we were in the same situation in principle in 2007, when the Estonian government decided to remove the Bronze Soldier from Tõnismägi in Tallinn. In light of hostile propaganda, the state had to establish itself and show that Estonian laws apply in Estonia. The situation is similar also now, if the Estonian state establishes itself and does not allow hostile propaganda to prevail.