Nordic Shadows: Russia's Information Operations in Sweden with Patrik Oksanen

10/01/24 • 20 min

Episode 5 turns to Russia's information operations targeting Sweden. In this episode, our host, Marcus Kolga, travels to Estonia’s capital, Tallin, where he speaks with Swedish journalist and foreign policy expert Patrik Oksanen. The impact of Patrik's work has made him a significant target of Russian transnational oppression, which we will cover in an upcoming podcast episode. Together, Marcus and Patrik unpack Russian information operations in Sweden, including the Kremlin's amplification of a series of strange Quran burning incidents in 2023 and how they may have stifled Sweden's efforts to join NATO.

Previous Episode

The West versus Russian disinfo with Jakub Kalensky (Senior Analyst, Hybrid COE in Helsinki)

In this episode, our host Marcus Kolga, travels to Helsinki, Finland, where he meets with Jakub Kalensky, a senior analyst at the European Center of Excellence for countering hybrid threats in Helsinki, who is active in the development of the EU's external action services, EU versus Disinfo at the eastern STRATCOM and now with the Hybrid COE - an international, autonomous network-based organization promoting a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to countering hybrid threats. Marcus talks to Jakub about the modern phase of Russia's disinformation operations and their intensification after the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 and the downing of Malaysian Airlines MH 17 by a surface to air missile belonging to the Russian Armed Forces.

Next Episode

The Frontline of Russian Deception: Defending Latvia against Russian Information Warfare

In this episode, Marcus Kolga travels to the capital of Latvia, Riga, where he chats with former Latvian Defence Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Artis Pabriks, the founder and chairman of the Northern Defence Policy Center Think Tank. Dr. Pabriks highlights Latvia's early recognition of Russian hybrid and information warfare, emphasizing the need for countermeasures.