What should Canada learn from the Russians at War case?

The recent case of the film Russians at War has sparked discussions about Canada’s ongoing struggle against foreign interference alongside a resumption of the public hearings by the Foreign Interference Commission. The movie, directed by a Russian-Canadian filmmaker previously involved with the Russian state-sponsored media outlet Russia Today (which is sanctioned in Canada), has drawn sharp criticism for the narratives it conveys. The film shows the Russian side of the frontline, depicting a Ukrainian man and his friends—fighting as volunteers for the Russian army—as victims of President Vladimir Putin’s regime. Critics have argued that the film presents a “carefully selected and sifted version of the trench truth,” distorting reality by failing to show forcibly mobilized soldiers and former prisoners on the battlefield. The film is also criticized for not addressing the real context of the start of the war, and the human rights abuses and war crimes committed by Russian soldiers. Ann Fitz-Gerald is the director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs. Photograph courtesy of Ann Fitz-Gerald However, the greatest concern with Russians at War centres on the fact that the movie was filmed over seven months in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. Given that the Kremlin has labelled many independent western journalists who oppose the war as “foreign agents,” or imprisoned them in Russia—and that no independent western media have been allowed by the Russian government to access the front lines—the question of the film’s content independence is a more than legitimate question to ask. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the Government of Canada supported the film in the amount of $340,000 drawn from the Canadian Media Fund through the public broadcaster TVO, which later pulled its support for the movie. Halyna Padalko is a Digital Policy Hub fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. Photograph courtesy of Halyna Padalko What lessons can Canada draw from this experience? What critical sense-making questions were overlooked before the decision to fund and screen this movie in Canada? How can we use this case to explore the implications for Canada’s security and its fight against foreign information manipulation and interference, especially ahead of the next federal elections? American political scientist Joseph Nye defines soft power as the ability of a state or actor to shape the preferences and actions of others through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion or force. This influence is exerted primarily through cultural, ideological, and diplomatic means, including a country’s values, policies, and institutions. Soft power often weaponizes storytelling through books and movies, playing on the emotions of the audience to distort reality. Putin has repeatedly emphasized the fact that soft power instruments are among the most important tools in Moscow’s foreign policy arsenal, and recently increased spending for propaganda by billions of dollars. To better safeguard ourselves, we must invest more effort into studying our adversaries, and the political culture and systems within which they operate. One of the main approaches taken by Russian propaganda is to undermine the very concept of truth, promoting half-truths of the plausibility of truths, making recipients doubt their values, and promoting the idea that truth is not a matter of fact but rather of belief. In a world rife with manipulation and disinformation, access to accurate, comprehensive, and unbiased information has become a fundamental human right. Disinformation restricts access to accurate information, diminishing individuals’ ability to make informed decisions. A recent study found that 84 per cent of Canadians are concerned about being exposed to disinformation—a concern that is far from misplaced. Foreign adversaries—particularly authoritarian regimes like Russia—are exploiting Canada’s democratic values and diversity to sow discord, polarize public opinion, and erode societal cohesion. The question we must therefore address is: how can democracies like Canada, which cannot respond asymmetrically to authoritarian threats without compromising their values, protect themselves from such sophisticated and evolving forms of interference? To counter these adversarial efforts, we must not only strengthen our own soft power abroad, but also enhance our strategic communication inside the country to promote a Canadian narrative characterizing democratic values. Initiating this conversation on Canada’s democratic narrative now is critical in the absence of a clear national strategy—or national security strategy. This is especially the case given the increasingly fragmented nature of Canadian society that our adversaries are skillfully exploiting. A whole-of-society approach to combat foreign information manipulation and interference, supported by a robust policy framework, is required. The fight against disinformation is not just a task for government agencies or cybersecurity experts; it is a responsibility for every Canadian. In the short term, we must employ strong critical-thinking measures. Central to critical thinking is our ability to ask sense-making questions. For example, one might ask: “Why would a film crew be granted access to Russian troops and allowed into Canada while the Russian government continues to sanction any Canadian who has been even mildly critical of the Kremlin’s policies, including 1,500 Canadian academics?” The answers to these questions must then be reviewed, and decisions should be based on relevant facts and evidence. We must also think critically about how our adversaries are analyzing our preferences and tendencies, and learning about institutional weaknesses and weaponizing these weaknesses against us, our country, and our democracy. This requires greater knowledge on the political cultures, strategies, and tactics of authoritarian regimes—which would provide a less naive, and more evidence-based, “lens” to analyze their approaches to foreign interference. In a world in which battles for minds to support global turmoil and disruption are fought daily—even on Canadian soil—defending democracy is the responsibility of all who live in one. Canadians must stand united in recognizing the threats posed by foreign propaganda and interference, and take collective responsibility for safeguarding the future of our democratic society. Ann Fitz-Gerald is the director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs, and a professor of international security in Wilfrid Laurier University’s department of political science. Halyna Padalko is a Digital Policy Hub fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. The Hill Times

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What should Canada learn from the Russians at War case?

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