If you’ve been following the news during the Russian war of aggression, you’ve probably seen the intelligence reports that the British Ministry of Defense posts on Twitter every single day.
, other Finnish media and international media share these reports as part of war reporting.
– This is completely unprecedented.
That’s what a researcher specializing in intelligence services said Rory Cormac describes the way the British Ministry of Defense publishes its military intelligence information on Russian forces in Ukraine.
– These things have always been classified as secret before. Public use of intelligence information has been very rare, says Cormac Yelle, professor of international relations at the University of Nottingham, in a video interview.
According to him, the British Ministry of Defense’s selective communication about the war in Ukraine can be considered a form of Western propaganda.
In sharp detail: Britain reports in daily intelligence reports about the failures of the Russian army and the successes of the Ukrainian army. The weaknesses of the Russian forces and the divisions within the leadership also receive a lot of attention. Russia’s military successes are often dismissed as trivial.
– We [lännessä] we don’t like to use the word propaganda. It’s a dirty word. It’s something they do, not us, Cormac smiles.
According to him, in the West, roundabout expressions such as “information campaign” or “strategic communication” are preferred. Basically, it’s still the same thing, although the means and principles are very different than in Russia.
The intelligence reports published by the British are part of a wider information warfare, in which the West has tried to get on top of the neck even before a full-scale attack by Russia, says The Washington Post.
The loss of Bahmut was overlooked
The Russian regime ruthlessly exploits propaganda based on outright lies and contradictory messages in the war. The British intelligence reports clearly deviate from this: they are based on true but selected facts, which mainly emphasize the image of the events at the front and in Russia that is pleasing to the Western public.
One example is the capture of Bahmut by Russian forces at the end of May. Britain said in its intelligence report May 20ththat Russia is concentrating its forces on the capture of Bahmut “in order to achieve some degree of success in the conflict”.
In the following days, Ukraine completely lost control of Bahmut, a significant loss for it. However, British intelligence reports did not mention Bahmut for the next time until a week later, May 27th.
At that time, Britain said that the mercenary Wagner’s forces are withdrawing from Bahmut and will be replaced by the Russian Armed Forces, and that the Ukrainian army has recaptured areas from the foothills of Bahmut.
Professor Rory Cormac reminds us that the British Ministry of Defense is not an independent actor, but rather promotes the policies and goals of the British government. According to him, the motive of the intelligence reports is to act as an authoritative source of information and challenge Russia’s version of events, but also to maintain Western support for Ukraine.
Britannia commented to : “We strive for objectivity”
Already at the beginning of 2022, the United States and Britain began to publish their intelligence information about the movements of the Russian army on the Ukrainian border. The purpose was to prevent Russia from staging a Ukrainian attack against itself and using it as an excuse to launch a major attack.
However, the Russian invasion began, and Britain has continued to share its intelligence to this day.
A representative of the British Ministry of Defense tells in an email that the ministry believes it has influenced the course of the war with its reports. He reminds us of the first intelligence report, which was published a week before the start of the major attack. It contained the ministry’s warning assessment of Russia’s attack plans.
– We are sure that this helped the international community to understand and share our concern about how serious it is Putin was It also helped Ukraine strengthen its defenses before February 24, the spokesperson says.
According to the spokesman, the intelligence reports aim to be “as objective as possible”.
According to him, the reports are based on open source information and intelligence information that has been declassified.
– We would by no means jeopardize Ukraine’s operational security, but we also do not avoid publishing assessments that are less positive towards Ukraine, the spokesman says.
According to the ministry, its aim is to challenge the misinformation spread by Russia, convey expert information, express Britain’s support and warn people about Russia’s possible future intentions.
Every intelligence update has the subject tag #StandWithUkraine, i.e. let’s stand by Ukraine.
Today, the ministry publishes a detailed report along with its tweets, what the expressions used in its intelligence reports mean.
There are many kinds of propaganda
As researcher Cormac says, few would admit to producing propaganda themselves. The propaganda accusation is a weapon with which to beat the opponent.
– But if you strip away all the nasty associations around the p-word, basically it is presenting information in a way that tries to influence people’s thoughts and behavior. It can be used either for good or for terrible evil, says Cormac.
Propaganda is basically influencing opinion, which is motivated by an agenda, says the propaganda researcher, assistant professor at the University of Helsinki. Mats Bergman.
However, there is no single unequivocal definition of propaganda. Today, and especially during the war, propaganda has become more diverse than before with social and other digital media.
– Propaganda does not have to be false. It can selectively emphasize a certain part of the truth. This can be considered a form of propaganda from the most harmless end. It’s hard to say who isn’t partially guilty of that, says Bergman.
In the background of ISW, hawks and the arms industry
In the West, another respected body that publishes daily information about the war in Ukraine is the American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Finnish and international media rarely quote ISW’s reports in their news coverage, and bases its updated situation map on ISW’s information.
uses information from ISW and the British Ministry of Defense as sole sources among many others. Information about the course of the war is collected from numerous different sources, experts and our own journalists in Ukraine.
As with British military intelligence, researchers also consider ISW’s open source information to be generally reliable and accurate.
However, ISW’s reports based on open sources clearly emphasize the success of the Ukrainian armed forces and the failures of the Russian armed forces or downplay the successes, writes, for example, a long-time journalist Robert Wright in his analysis.
According to him, ISW’s selectivity is an example of American, subtle propaganda.
In the background of ISW, neoconservative political parties operate, which in the United States are determined, among other things, by a hawkish foreign policy. The think tank also receives funding from the arms industry.
According to Bergman’s information, the information published by ISW has not been incorrect, but he urges to approach the information of it and similar think tanks with attention and to be aware of their backgrounds.
– It is important to go and see who really finances and supports these. Based on that, you then have to assess how reliable the information is.
“The best propaganda is based on the truth”
Rory Cormac says in the same way that although the accuracy of the information in the British intelligence reports can be trusted, the backgrounds and motives of the communication should be kept in mind.
Cormac, who studied British propaganda during the Cold War, says he knows how to distinguish the lies of the intelligence services from the truth. Britain would only have something to lose by spreading false information. Credibility and trust would be destroyed in an instant.
– British military intelligence does not have to lie. The best propaganda campaigns are based on the truth, says Cormac.
In contrast to Russia, Ukraine has not been caught in its propaganda directly spreading false information, individual exceptions except for.
However, Ukraine maintains its will to fight and support from the West by publishing selective information. For example, enemy losses are reported in detail, but one’s own losses are not mentioned.
– When you’re fighting for survival, it’s easy to find understanding for someone like this, says Mats Bergman.
According to him, the more difficult question is whether it is justified in other countries to overemphasize Russia’s misfortunes and Ukraine’s successes in the same way.
– That has its risks. We should have a clear understanding of what that situation is. If it turned out that the perception was completely wrong, it could backfire and reduce trust.
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