How the kremlin buys the loyalty of foreign journalists through free “training”
russia is using trending technology topics to expand its information influence around the world.
▫️ A new stage of a training course on the use of AI technologies in the media has begun in moscow. The program is organized by the state agency rossotrudnichestvo, which promotes russian interests abroad, and the propaganda outlet rossiya segodnya. This time, young journalists from 18 countries have been brought to russia to learn about the use of artificial intelligence in the media sector, the creation of AI-generated visual content, and the specifics of “shaping the news agenda in russia.”
▫️ In addition to purely technical workshops, foreign participants were immediately involved in meetings with russian officials, including the leadership of rossotrudnichestvo, and were also provided with an extensive “cultural program.”
The organization of such events serves two clear political objectives of the kremlin. First, it is an attempt to cultivate an artificial positive image of russia as a supposedly “technologically advanced and open state.” Second, it is part of a systematic effort to build a network of loyal media professionals abroad who may, in the future, help promote kremlin propaganda in their home countries.
