The Nord Stream II pipeline project is a lobbying tool for the Russian government, which uses it to keep the Western money flowing towards the Kremlin elite and increase its leverage against key European decision makers. Recent history only confirms that the Kremlin uses energy as a tool of blackmail.
Perhaps the best way to understand what role the Nord Stream II plays in Russia’s objectives is to look at the coverage by the Russian official state channels, serving the Kremlin to spread disinformation and state propaganda amongst the Russian citizens as well as the European audiences.
For that reason, the Ukraine Crisis Media Center in cooperation with the European Values Centre for Security Policy prepared a video and an infographic, explaining how Russian state media portray Nord Stream 2 and what the threats behind this project are.
“Russian media and officials insist that Nord Stream 2 is a safe business initiative, when it fact it is neither safe nor purely economic. It is a powerful political leverage that has capabilities to undermine European energy security”, says Oleksandra Tsekhanovska, senior analyst at Hybrid Warfare Analytical Group, UCMC.
“The collective security system, which had been a priority for many years after World War II, is now under a threat. Nord Stream 2 project is a danger not just for Ukraine or Poland. This is about the security of all Europe. Energy, economic and, finally, physical security as well. The “business as usual” formula may have short-term dividends, but the whole region loses in the long run,” – says Liubov Tsybulska, Head of HWAG.
The primary goal of the produced materials is not only to be shared amongst wider public, but also to provide a better and more comprehensive idea about how the West is portrayed by Russian state channels to policy-makers and decision-makers.
We would like to encourage you to share them with your peers, colleagues and anyone who might find the information relevant.
We would also like to draw your attention to the previous materials produced within this project, especially the videos summarizing the Russian state media coverage of the assassination of Sergei Skripal and the shooting down of the MH17.
