Google+ Hangout: Russian Propoganda and Russian Minorities in Eastern Europe

Propaganda has always served as a useful tool for authoritarian regimes to shape perceptions, manipulate events, create false narratives, and justify their own actions. Today, many Russian media outlets are actively reporting alarming "news" about the alleged violations of the rights of Russian communities living abroad, while other, independent media that present opposing views are branded as "traitors." Russian President Vladimir Putin used such false claims in his efforts to justify his country's recent annexation of Crimea. Russia's use of nationalist propaganda is not limited to Ukraine: Russian propaganda targets communities in Moldova, Georgia, the Baltic states, eastern Ukraine, the Balkans, and of course Russia itself. What are the dangers to democracy and security of this destructive Russian campaign? Should NATO allies such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania be concerned? Should NATO itself be concerned? And how should the United States and Europe meet the challenge of this destructive Russian narrative? Featuring Ambassador Kurt Volker, Executive Director, The McCain Institute for International Leadership; Damon Wilson, Executive Vice President, Atlantic Council; Natalya Sedletska, Fellow, RFE/RL Ukrainian Service; Ildar Gabidullin, Fellow, RFE/RL Tatar-Bashkir Service; Ivan Beliaev, Fellow, RFE/RL Russian Service; Jaroslav Zajicek, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Czech Republic; Nenad Pejic, Interim Manager, RFE/RL and Editor-in-Chief for Programming; Irina Lagunina, Director, RFE/RL Russian Service; Andrejs Pildegovi?s, Foreign Ministry State Secretary.