The impact of Russian propaganda on European Union countries

In accordance with the imperialistic type of conduct at the international scene, Russia could not effectively influence the EU by the economic or power method. Therefore, the Russis started to spread propaganda and disinformation campaigns. In the European countries, Russian propaganda became a dangerous phenomenon. Europe already drew attention to its danger when propaganda turned into a widespread problem with a serious impact on the EU. The issue of migrants and refugees is a divergent problem for Europeans and most EU countries, along with the threat of terrorism which is the number one issue on the agenda for resolution. The spread of anti-immigrant propaganda by the Russia is one of the methods of achieving its imperialist aims. The purpose of the research is to analyze what anti-immigrant narratives are spread by Russian propaganda, which methods and techniques are used, and its impact on European countries. After analyzing the anti-immigration narratives of Russian or pro-Russian mass media, it is concluded that Russia, by spreading anti-migration propaganda, links the European migration crisis with: - The danger of terrorism, - Economic problems in countries hosting refugees, - An increase in crime rate and decline of the Western World and its Christian values, - Also it blames the USA and Europe for creating a migration crisis and spreads Islamophobic sentiment within Europe In addition, extreme right-wing parties in Europe are also using anti-immigration rhetoric. By manipulating and disseminating disinformation on the theme of the migration crisis, Russia contributes to increasing the support of right-wing radical parties in Europe. In turn, extreme right-wing parties are known for their Euro-skeptic policies and are keen to reformat the EU in their scenario. The elections in European Parliament in May 2019 that will determine the fate of the EU and the shift of power to right-wing parties in the elections to the European Parliament in May 2019 seems quite realistic. The importance of this study is to understand how Russian propaganda manipulates, which methods it uses and how it affects. These theoretical knowledge are needed to create effective methods to combat Russian propaganda.