Between 2023 and the present, we have been reminded of the value of propaganda as a concept in terms of shaping information wars in the contemporary age, and have begun to understand how social media, for example, can be used to spread it. However, the discourse around the Russian invasion of Ukraine has allowed for a sort of blindness as to exactly how Russian propaganda works, and just how expertly it weaves itself into existing issues and often valid complaints, in such a way that the pattern of malign intervention is easily lost. A movement that has unwittingly become a powerful tool of propaganda in the context of this war is the European farmers’ protests.
For a few years now, European farmers have expressed discontent towards the European Union’s environmental policies, such as the overarching Green Deal, pesticide regulations and (a cleverly hidden afterthought) sanctions against Russia. The farming sector has long argued against the Green Deal, the cornerstone of European environmental policy that has sought to transform varied sectors, from food to transportation, with the aim of reducing carbon emissions.
This, in turn, has meant imposing stiff targets that some have argued have a negative impact on agricultural productivity. The consequence of that, of course, has been a slew of large- scale protests across Europe. Farmers, frustrated with what they consider an unfair hurdle to a crucial sector of the economy, and to their livelihoods, stationed themselves with thousands of tractors, blocking the streets of major European cities. Of course, the European Commission has attempted to address these frustrations, easing some of the environmental rules (such as relaxing regulations on crop rotation requirements).
While these issues are not the main focus of this study, they are important to present. Because behind anger over rising costs, increased taxes and excessive environmental burdens, you might have noticed the subtle but increasingly loud voices complaining about competition from Ukraine. In effect, the farmers’ protests have become a Trojan horse for Russian disinformation.
The other side of this coin of discontent is the unforeseen consequences of sanctions against Russian and Belarusian agricultural products. One particular example is European farmers finding themselves lacking access to cheaper Russian fertilisers (which are the products of Russia’s cheaper energy resources, among other things), which at face value has been presented as affecting farmers more so than the effects of the Russian war itself. An underlying pattern seems to have emerged, however, as further farmers’ protests have appeared in Poland and the Czech Republic, ahead of elections in those countries. With themes of aggression towards Ukraine emerging more and more, and elections looming in countries most likely to support Ukraine versus Russia, something lies in the underbelly of discontent that might not be entirely organic: Russian propaganda. The theorised infiltration of farmers’ protests would then serve several purposes: affect the general perception of the conflict, damage the Ukrainian war effort through its agricultural sector and harm support for Ukraine’s integration into the EU.
