Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid has stated that she does not trust Russian media, due to her confidence that the majority of it is ideologically controlled and used in “hybrid warfare.” But she considers it necessary to respond to “fake” accusations.

“It is clear that, with very few exceptions, Russian media is ideologically controlled,” Kaljulaid said at the presentation of a study called 'Narratives of Russian Propaganda about Europe and Ukraine,' created by the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center’s analytical group for hybrid threats in Kiev on May 23.

“Information is a weapon; no war is necessary in order to use it as a weapon, but it is very important to respond to fake accusations,” Kaljulaid said.

Kaljulaid stated that Russia uses almost the same pattern when undertaking military campaigns in Georgia and Ukraine or meddling with elections in the United States or France. She advised reporters to avoid propaganda and work for the sake of their reputation.

The Estonian President closed with the statement that propaganda may appear to be an effective tool in the short term, but "it is more important to build trust in the media."

By Shawn Wayne

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