In a discussion on the impact of new technologies and disinformation on democratic elections, the Lithuanian leader stressed that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, now in its third year, is not confined to the battlefield, but is also spreading into the information space and across borders, making every supporter of Ukraine a potential target. This reflects Russia’s longstanding objective that has not changed for at least two decades—to weaken the foundations of democracy globally.
“Right now, we see a clear line separating the free world from those wishing to destroy it. Not only physical threats but also a stream of propaganda and misinformation is constantly seeking to get inside,” the President pointed out, stressing that almost every democratic society has recently been under pressure from technologically-enabled malicious cyber and information activities.
According to the Lithuanian leader, the strength of democracies has always rested on the ability of their citizens to participate in free and fair elections. However, the reliance of democratic institutions on the confidence shown by their citizens also leads to a certain fragility of each democratic system. This is something that not only Russia, but also many other authoritarian states or non-state actors are seeking to exploit.
“To erode this confidence is to undermine democracy. Or so many autocrats think, rushing to exploit our vulnerabilities,” said the President, pointing out that almost half of the world’s population will be voting in 2024, and many of these people will be the targets of disinformation and targeted manipulation.
“We need a strong global response. Democracies must work together to expose, counter, and ultimately defeat efforts to undermine the foundations of our free and open societies. Be it Russia, or any other actor—we cannot allow them to manipulate or, eventually, capture our institutions. We must strengthen our cybersecurity defenses and invest in technological solutions for countering disinformation,” the Head of State underlined.
According to Gitanas Nausėda, democracy, free and fair elections and trust in key institutions must be defended at all costs. This requires consolidating human and technical resources of democracies and strengthening the information resilience of societies.
