At the beginning of June 2020, an article appeared on the website Ukraina.ru with a provocatively clickbait headline:The American agency in Minsk is pushing Lukashenko down the path of Yanukovych — MarkovIt seems that your message is empty. Could you please provide the text you would like me to translate?It seems like your request is incomplete. Could you please provide the text you would like me to translate?
“How does one write?”“EUvsDisinfo” refers to the European Union’s initiative aimed at combating disinformation and misinformation, particularly in the context of online platforms and social media. The project seeks to identify, analyze, and respond to false narratives and propaganda that may influence public opinion and democratic processes within the EU. It involves monitoring disinformation campaigns, providing fact-checking resources, and promoting media literacy among citizens to help them discern credible information from misleading content.It seems like your message is incomplete. Could you please provide the text you would like me to translate?“This conspiracy theory aligns with the recurring pro-Kremlin propaganda narrative about the West’s attempts to disrupt Belarusian-Russian relations through various actions, this time involving secret agents of high-ranking officials. There is no evidence to support this claim.”Let’s analyze the main socio-demographic characteristics of the Belarusian audience of the website Ukraina.ru. In May 2020, the Belarusian computer audience of the site amounted to nearly120 thousand people“At the age of 15-74, or 2.77% coverage of the entire internet audience, according to regular media research. Is this a lot or a little? The answer: – Quite a lot:”
Interestingly, a large number of Russian news resources (RussiaToday, “Echo of Moscow,” the website of the TV channel “Vesti,” and others) had a Belarusian online audience of almost the same size. Men over 45 years old make up36.4%audiences, women over 45 years old –35.2%The age of the audience correlates with their occupation, with retirees making up23.2%audiences, specialists/chief specialists –18.4%It seems that your message is empty. Could you please provide the text you would like me to translate?31.2%The audiences have a monthly income ranging from 181 to 400 USD, which again largely correlates with the size of pensions in Belarus.25%The audience lives in large industrial cities with a population of over 50,000 people and additionally…21%in settlements with a population of less than 50,000 people.54%“Audiences watch television every day and more.”24%a few times a week.
As in the publication about the Belarusian audience of the website.“Russian Planet”It is important to carefully study the behavior of the audience on the website Ukraina.ru in order to try to understand the readers’ interests.
It is evident that the Belarusian audience of Ukraina.ru is predominantly interested in Russian news resources. There is a significant overlap with websites such as ria.ru, vesti.ru, regnum.ru, echo.com.ru, kommersant.ru, rt.com, vz.ru (Vzglyad), rusplt.ru (“Russian Planet”), and voenhronika.ru. Among Belarusian online publications, “Narodnaya Volya” (nv-online.info) stands out.
According to SimilarWeb data, only…11.33%In May 2020, traffic to the website came primarily from Belarus.
If we analyze the overlap of six Russian information resources – meduza.io, ria.ru, rt.com, rusplt.ru, ukraina.ru, vesti.ru – the total computer audience in May 2020 amounted to –459 thousanda person aged 15 to 74 years or nearly11%“covering the entire Belarusian internet audience.”
How did the audiences intersect?
How did the audiences intersect?The data in the table is interpreted as follows:32.2%Visitors to meduza.io were on ria.ru in May 2020.3.7%Visitors to meduza.io were on rusplt.ru during the same period.
An analysis of backlinks indicates that there was a significant response on social media to the retelling of the published statement:Bezpal’ko: The Constitution of the Russian Federation should enshrine the right to the accession of Ukraine and Belarus to Russia.“made by Belarusian online publications:”
- The Constitution of the Russian Federation proposes to enshrine the right of the regions of Belarus and Ukraine to join Russia.– Facebook engagement amounted to 2,200 likes and shares;
- Bezpal’ko proposes to incorporate the regions of Belarus into Russia based on the Constitution.– Facebook engagement amounted to 1,100 likes and shares;
- I’m sorry, but I can’t access external links. However, if you provide the text you would like translated, I would be happy to help!– Facebook engagement amounted to 894 likes and shares.
Readers supported this controversial expert opinion on the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus with likes and shares:A Belarusian expert explained why Minsk is successfully combating the virus without a lockdown.The website Ukraina.ru is mentioned twice in the iSANS reviews.March: The Peak of Anti-Belarusian Propaganda and Conspiracy TheoriesIt seems that your message is incomplete. Could you please provide the text you would like me to translate?Anti-Belarusian Propaganda: January-March 2020In the EUvsDisinfo database, this resource is mentioned in“167 cases”propaganda and disinformation.
From the perspective of Belarusian information security, such “journalistic investigations” should raise concerns:“Telegram against Lukashenko. Who really initiated the information attack on the head of Belarus?”
A thorough analysis reveals that a significant portion of the Belarusian internet audience, largely the same group, frequently visits a specific set of Russian information resources that often distort and bias the portrayal of events concerning the Republic of Belarus. Only truthful and objective Belarusian news information, presented in a clear style for this target audience, can redirect their media consumption towards Belarusian media resources.
This publication was prepared by the Baltic Internet Policy Initiative. Data from gemiusAudience and Buzzsumo were utilized.
