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13.09.2008

INFORMATION SUPPORT TO THE SOUTH OSSETIAN WAR

   

Samvel Martirosyan

Martirosyan_Samvel (medium) The war in Ossetia became significant from the standpoint of taking information measures by the side of all the parities involved in the conflict. Taking into consideration the fact that the military operations became quite unexpected and lasted for only several days, the strength of information war turned up to prove itself which resulted involving huge resources.

As a whole, the Georgian party worked more efficiently for the foreign recipient whereas, Russian propaganda by its form was more targeting the internal recipient. So, it was later on found out that the Georgian party was sending its press-releases to the most distant corners of the world, whereas, Moscow thought of traditional ways of spreading materials through news agencies.

Spreading of disinformation

Taking into consideration transience of military operations, both of the parties were practically misinforming the number of their own casualties, troops of the enemy and victims among peaceful population etc. During the war they both were operatively informing about destroying of huge military subdivisions of the enemy. So, information was spread that Georgian subdivisions managed from the very beginning to round up and completely destroy the Chechen battalion “East.” The information by the Russian party about the same battalion was drastically different: the Georgians run soon after having heard Chechen speech on the portable radio transmitter.

As the parties had to react operatively, the propagandistic services were often making mistakes. So, the Russian party was a few days announcing unchangeable number of the killed, and then the numbers increased by several times, and in the ultimate result turned up to be less. The Georgian party attempted accentuating on the ones killed among peaceful population, whereas, military casualties were tried not to be made shown and no name lists were hang out.

There are separate controversies over the number of the killed among the peaceful population. The Russian party increased the number of the killed within two days releasing the final result of two thousand. At the same time the Georgian party was continuing using the report of Human Rights Watch human rights organization which spoke about tens of thousand of victims which had been precisely checked up. Already at the end of August the RF General Office of Public Persecutor announced about “1692 killed and 1500 wounded as a result of Georgian aggression.”

Using propagandistic visual materials

Both of the parties used posters and caricatures on the user-defined level which were mainly directed to discredit the enemy. As the experience has come to prove, realization of propagandistic materials directed to raise competitive spirit of the army and civil population requires much many than a few days. In this connection, there were mainly used visual images which were to discredit the enemy, show up its negative traits. In connection with Russia, for example, the image of a bear became more widespread, especially in the western press. It is noteworthy that both of the parties made parallels with fascism – the photos of Sahakashvili, Putin and Medvedev with Hitlerite mustache and hair-do became very popular.

One can judge about the importance of visual information and propagandistic materials taking into consideration the way the destructions in Tskhinvali were discussed. In the very first reports of the Russian parry (earlier the ones of the Ossetian information portals) it was spoken about complete destruction of the city. The reports about Tskhenvaly little by little were changed in tone, and it was later on spoken about scale destructions by aircraft and artillery. Later on the Russian part confessed that there were completely destroyed for about 10% of buildings in Tskhenvali, and 20 more per-cent were destroyed partially. The President of South Ossetia openly confessed from his part that the Ossetian army had completely demolished Georgian settlements which had been on the territory of the Republic. However, this news was not discussed so actively and did not result so many commentaries as the satellite photo of Tskhenvali and the bordering settlements published by the international organization UNOSAT. The organization experts attempted to put an accent on the destructions and the completely or partially destroyed buildings. The photo brought to the same conclusion as the Russian and Ossetian parties confessed. At that, the satellite photo caused many controversies as it was impossible to evaluate the damages inflicted on the buildings which haven’t been destroyed completely.

Big public excitement was generated by the photos of Reuters which depicted the victims among peaceful population after Gori had been bombed by the Russian aviation. The Russian internet users and journalists denounced agencies in presenting false photos. False interview of the author of the photo allegedly given to the radio station «Эхо Москвы» (Echo of Moscow) was thrown in the internet. The scandal was so big that Reuters had to announce about conducting internal research and publishing photos on the subject. In spite of that, the Russian party still has apprehension in originality of the photo.

The Russian party presented a huge number of photos through the blogs of his journalists after the destruction made by Georgian techniques (bodies of mutilated bodies etc.). The video materials had still more effect. In this war it was made active use of video services, especially - Youtube and Rutube.


Attacks on news resources

Most of the propaganda was by the two parties spread to the foreign audience by means of internet: through news and analogical portals, as well as social networks, blogs and forums.

It goes without saying that the Georgian party didn’t have any direct influence on foreign audience through TV channels, whereas Russia was making use of the fact of broadcasting its channels in the CIS countries, as well as to the very Georgia. Tbilisi closed this source of Russian propaganda in the country ceasing broadcasting of Russian Channels. At the same time western TV channels were successfully playing the role of speaking-trumpet of the Georgian standpoint on certain issues. Interest to the events in the region was great. Thus, the agency “News-Georgia,” which was referring to the research group Excellence in Journalism based in Washington and tracking flows of news, announced on Monday that the conflict in Georgia in connection with South Ossetia had became the main subject of world news in August, “moving aside” to the second place even Olympic Games in Beijing. According to the research, from August 11 to 17 for about 26% broadcasting of the biggest world mass media was devoted to the conflict. It was elucidated more than the Olympic Games in Beijing and much more than the scandal in the US in connection with the confession of the ex-candidate for presidency John Edwards in extramarital relationship. According to Rasmussen Reports, for about 80% of the US population was attentively following the news in the Russian-Georgian conflict zone.

However, internet was used for internal users and to exert psychological pressure on the enemy. From the very beginning of the war Georgian news and official sites became targets of massive attacks. For example, there were hiked the sites of President and Foreign Ministry of Georgia and were placed photocollages discrediting Michael Sahakashvili comparing him with Adolf Hitler. Georgia’s Foreign Ministry had to use blogs to spread out its press releases on it. The attacks on news resources were so massive that the Russian site “Ria-Novosti” also suffered of it, as on its server was hosted the site of the Georgian sub-unit of the agency http://newsgeorgia.ru.

In the attacks on news resources were by both of the parties used not only hiking but also social groups. So, the attacks similar by their activity to DDoS were carried out not only by means of botnets, that’s to say, networks of infected zombie-computers. Tens and hundreds of users uploaded in their computers simple programs or applied quite primitive instructions which were sent especially to hinder normal work of the enemy’s news portals.

The Georgian party quite operatively closed the access to the Russian segment of internet for its users. However, a number of resources avoided filtration, in particular the blogsphere, which became twice as active as before. Attendance of the most informative blogs was very much increased. Besides, bloges were used as a special kind of alternative propagandistic method. Thus, appeared the blog of Alan Kachiev, the head of the International direction of the organization “New people,” leader of International Youth Assambly - http://rupor-naroda.livejournal.com/. It is noteworthy that it is registered on August 3, however the first recording in it appears on August 4. After that it is positioned (not only through other blogs, but also through Russian mass media) as a diary of an Ossetin who fights in Tskhenvali with a submachine gun in his hands.

The witnesses were giving information about what they have seen through blogs. Besides, many journalists who were working in the front made their own blogs which were enriched by many materials never to be published later on. Through the very blogs and forums were published a huge number of photographs which did not appear in the press because of their extreme brutality.

Internet was used by the parties in quite non-ordinary ways. Thus, the Georgian party uploaded page markers on Georgia’s satellite map in Google Maps service which only needed to be clicked to open for the users the interviews of refugees of the districts occupied by the Russian army.

Foreign PR-consultants

According in some publications, Georgian authorities made use of the services of lobbyists and PR makers, which were to ensure information in confrontation with Russia. Thus, in particular Russian mass media was spreading materials from Swiss journal Аftonbladet about the company Aspect Consultingn working for Georgia against Kremlin, in particular about its representative Patrick Worm. The Company’s headquarter is located in Brussels and belongs to James Hunt. According to the information released by the edition Aspect Consulting, the company has been working for President Sahakashvili since November of the previous year. Earlier the company had clients in the face of such translational giants as Exxon, Bridgestone and Akzo Nobel.

For Sahakashvili’s government were also working Scheunemann & Associates and Orion Strategies LLC headed by Randy Scheunemann, who was the official lobbyist of Georgia and, at the same time, the consultant of John McCain.

Azerbaijani trace

The Azerbaijani party made a good use of the present situation to work on complicating Armenian-Georgian relations. While Georgian infrastructures were being bombed by Russian, the Azerbaijani press BBC was periodically throwing in information about the aircrafts flying from 102nd base of Gyumri.

After the active phase of military preparations have been over the Azerbaijani party enabled a “sleeping” site http://xronika.am registered half a year ago, it was not spoken about anywhere as an appropriate moment was waited for. On August 18 was published a false appeal of non-exist Organization “Patriots of Javakhq,” which was claiming for independence (Below you can read the appeal the orthography and punctuation of which has been preserved in the original Russian version unchanged):

«Армянские патриоты Джавахка, поздравляет многострадального осетинского народа с победой и с возвращением территории, который является испокон веков землёй Аланов. Вместе с этим соболезнуем тем семям, который во время войны от рук грузинских военных агрессоров было убита 1600 граждан.

Несмотря на такие тяжёлые последствие, (очень сожелеем) осетины с помощью великой России возвратили свои территории и надеемся, что очень скоро с помощю русских братьев мы тоже приобретём свободу. Мы, убеждены, что после Вас, настанет наш черёт. Со стороны грузинских спец-отрядов в Джавахке уже было арестованы молодые армянские лидеры. С 15-го июля сего года в регионе осуществляется спец-операция, цел которого является ликвидировать армянских организации и их лидеров. Всё это, начался после вывода российских баз и в последняя время, принял официальный характер. За вами стоит великая Россия, который защищает Вас от грузинских агрессоров и шовинистов. Доказательство этому является последняя события». (Armenian patriots of Javakhq congratulate the long-suffering Ossetin nation upon their victory and winning back of the territories which have for centuries belonged to Alans. Along with it, we condole you with loss of 1600 people by Georgian military aggressors. In spite of such heavy consequences (we are very sorry for it), the Ossetians won back their territories with the help of Great Russia, and we hope that with the help of our Russian brothers we will also win victory. We’re sure that our turn is to come after you. Young Armenian leaders have also been arrested by Georgian special units in Javakhq. Since June 1 of the current year a special operation has been carried aiming at liquidating Armenian organizations and their leaders. All these have begun after the Russian bases have been withdrawn and have required official character recently. Great Russia is backing you and it will protect you from Georgian aggressors and chauvinists. It has come to be proved by the latest developments).

In spite of the material’s illiteracy and other faults it was republished by Azerbaijani mass media and spread on. As a matter of fact the Azerbaijani party made a good use of the moment to carry out information operations against Armenia. The Armenian party, as usual, took a defensive position.


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