this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2024

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Pro-Russian disinformation in Bulgaria achieves its goals, experts say (www.euractiv.com)

submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

18 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The latest Eurobarometer survey showed that Bulgarians are significantly less likely to admit that they have been targeted by fake news than the EU average (Bulgaria – 51%, EU27 – 68%). At the same time, only 44% of Bulgarians doubt information from social media, compared to the average for the EU (60%).

Against this backdrop, only 11% of Bulgarians support providing military aid to Ukraine, with similar results in Slovakia and Cyprus. The three countries rank last, compared to a EU27 average of 25% and the highest level of support registered in Sweden (71%) and Finland (63%).

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[–] skybreaker 20 points 8 months ago

I lived in Bulgaria for a few years. This doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Despite being post-communist, Bulgaria's ties to Russia are still very strong. Due to the poverty in the country, most of the older population still looks fondly at both communism and Russia.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Some brainstorming on the name is still required it seems, Buxit?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago

Bulhegira

hegira - noun
a journey especially when undertaken to escape from a dangerous or undesirable situation

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hegira

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Bulgexit

[–] Adubya 2 points 8 months ago

I'll take a Beef Bulgexit to go please!

[–] Raptor_007 13 points 8 months ago

Well that’s disappointing

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago

Prepare the 🍿

[+] [email protected] -7 points 8 months ago (2 children)

When you string people along for decades and still deny them entry to Schengen, are you actually surprised they are a bit alienated from the rest of you?

[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Entry into EU and Schengen is not a matter of time, it is a matter of meeting the requirements. Try voting for non-idiot, non-corrupt and non-far right politicians, so that they can work on implementing the requirements. Voting for Russia's puppets will prolong the time until accession, because they will not work on meeting the requirements.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

And then when you satisfy the requirements, Austria or the Netherlands will change them to make sure you don't get in so that X right wing populist can placate Y régional election. This happened.

So, Putin stooges will then stand up and say that the European promise is all a lie. And they will be sounding reasonable, whereas the pro European ones will be looking like idiots who gave faith to a false promise.

Western Europeans have not treated the east Balkan countries fairly. This undermines the European project. I'm not saying anything bizarre.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

I can't believe I have to spell this out, but...

Leaving a long-term, years-long effort for joining a democratic union which will give you more freedom, a higher standard of living as well as lots of investments plus literally free money for public spending because some assholes allegedly abused the system for their own political gain in favour of a literal fascist warring dictatorship, which also occupied and exploited your country for decades and murdered countless of your citizens, and which is also literally raping and murdering civillians and stealing children right now as I type this right next to you seems a reasonable thing to do to you?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

Of course not. But I'm not a Bulgarian voter that needs convincing. I'm someone who believes in the European project. I'm on your side. And I am pointing out that the other European countries are not doing enough to make the case to Bulgarian voters. Pro-european forces in the Balkans need a win. Calling the voters a basket of deplorables is not a winning argument. Getting Austria and the Netherlands to stuff it and finally accept BG and RO in Schengen is.

It's politics, not a morality play.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Which requirements exactly? Taking in Austria’s immigrants so their populists can brag that they’ve saved their country?

The requirements have been met a long time ago, and so says the European Commission. I guess Austria is the only enlightened in the whole EU to determine that Bulgaria and Romania are not ready.

Even as a strong believer in a united Europe, I can’t blame people getting eurosceptic, seeing how our supposed allies treat us.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

See https://feddit.de/comment/6477624

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Should we be fine with being treated as second class citizens just because Russia is worse? Of course people will react emotionally and not completely logically, many feel that their country has been humiliated and exploited.

The fact that a single country can just blackmail others in this way, to achieve its own goals doesn’t sound like a union to me. And with such cases russophiles begin to appear more and more right.

The EU needs major reforms in that area to make sure no one can abuse it. And blaming people for being fed up, with 12 years being used as scapegoats by various populists, is directing the blame towards the wrong people.

As I previously stated, I’m an avid supporter of the EU and our membership in it, but it can’t go on in this state.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

What does Schengen have to do with Russia‘s invasion or social media?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

If you dont like the EU, you are more likely to find anti EU posts on social media to be factual. If you like the EU more, you are more likely to find these posts to lie.

Hardly anyone validates the information. They just compare it to their current feelings about an issue. Move the feelings and you move the interpretation of the information, irrespective of whether specific pro- or anti-EU content was factual or not.

In so far i would also not conclude from these surveys, that Bulgarians are more likely to fall for propaganda or people from other EU countries to be less likely falling for it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

“Eurobatometer” does not mean that the questions are about the EU specifically.