Anti-Semitism is a crucial part of Russian propaganda in the wake of the war of aggression against Ukraine. For years, masterminds of Russian state propaganda have been trying to consolidate Putin's rule in the politico-philosophical guise of Christian nationalism by distorting the memory of the Holocaust. In doing so, the state's legitimacy is partly reinterpreted as an anti-Jewish struggle for survival.
This anti-Semitic rhetoric was used early on for disinformation campaigns focusing on the Russian population as ideological preparation for the war in Ukraine. However, with the beginning of the war, the anti-Semitic disinformation campaign expanded onto the international stage. Exemplifying this is the internationally disseminated denazification narratives as a justification for a war of aggression violating international law. This disinformation strategy, building on existing and further fuelled hatred and prejudice, is also being established in Germany by pro-Kremlin influencers, media, agencies and other propaganda actors. Anti-Semitic motifs facilitate the connectivity of pro-Kremlin attitudes to radicalised groups in the Federal Republic.
Therefore, in the context of this project, a narrative analysis (partly with the help of word analysis software) has been taking place on various social media and news platforms to find such campaigns, analyse them and make them understandable to the public. In particular, the connection between Russian propaganda and anti-Semitism as a rhetorical tool has been explored and analysed. The results are published online through a digital dashboard, the "Anti-Semitism Tracker", a mapping of relevant actors, groups and channels, as well as contextual information on the propagandistic use of anti-Semitism.
The dashboard will be made available to press and professional circles for further dissemination and processing. A particular focus will be on approaching and activating influencers, multipliers, experts, political decision-makers and preparers, as well as journalists, who recognise the topic's relevance and pass on the findings. The project results will be continuously communicated on social media channels, the website, and in the form of a targeted press approach.