The issue of migrants is being used to discredit the mobilization: expert
The recent escalation of anti-immigration rhetoric in Ukraine is an attempt to influence public sentiment and destabilize the situation on the home front. According to experts, such disinformation campaigns may be aimed at intensifying internal tensions and discrediting the mobilization process.
Ihor Solovey, head of the SPRAVDI Center for Strategic Communications, said this in a comment to Ukrinform.
“From May 1 to May 10, there was an active surge in anti-migrant discourse, which evolved from a local news story into a nationwide discussion with significant involvement of anonymous sources,” he noted.
The discussion was sparked by a screenshot posted on anonymous Telegram channels of a message from a manager at the construction company “Blago” (Ivano-Frankivsk) dated May 1 regarding the arrival of Indian workers.
This message was instantly picked up on Telegram, transforming into a broader discussion of migrants in Ukraine, specifically regarding “wages” and their “hidden numbers.”
In addition, Solovey noted that networks of accounts exhibiting signs of inauthentic behavior (bot farms) were identified as being used to artificially amplify the posts.
According to him, there is a combination of anti-immigration and anti-mobilization rhetoric, using the topic of migrant workers from Asian countries to discredit the mobilization process as a whole (and not just the coercive methods of the Territorial Defense Forces).
Key message: “The authorities are mobilizing Ukrainian men for war (forcing them to go into hiding and flee the country), and foreigners are taking their places,” “Ukrainians are not obligated to defend migrant workers who want to take their place.”
Thus, Solovey concluded, the stoking of anti-immigration rhetoric is yet another attempt to destabilize the home front and intensify internal tensions in Ukraine.
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As a reminder, over 90 migrants were rescued near the Greek island of Crete.
Italian authorities detained a rescue ship belonging to the German non-governmental organization Sea-Watch. This occurred after the ship had brought dozens of migrants to safety.
Belgian police dismantled a migrant smuggling ring that operated across three countries.
