Already this weekend, the power systems of the Baltic States will disconnect from the Russian power system, or the so-called BRELL network, and connect to the power system of continental Europe. This step is important for the long-term security of the Baltic States, as it will provide complete independence from the Russian energy system. This event is also used more or less successfully by disinformation distributors to try to create anxiety in the community, as reported by public media lsm.lv with reference to Latvijas Radio News Service.
So far, some attempts to mislead the public on this topic have been observed in Latvia, but in general, no mass organized disinformation campaign has been recorded yet. The same is true in Lithuania – no such cases have been observed there either.
Of all the Baltic countries, Estonia is experiencing the highest level of alarm about the upcoming disconnection from the BRELL network this the weekend.
According to Lsm.lv, the worry is mainly caused by false information circulating on the Internet that electricity supply will be interrupted in Estonia for 72 hours or three days, and therefore rescue services are encouraging people to prepare food and water supplies, as well as buy electricity generators.
In this case, it was possible to track and identify the distributors of false information quite accurately, according to the public media.
On the 30th of January, a government press-conference was held in Tartu, where Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal answered questions from journalists about the upcoming disconnection from the BRELL network. Michal explained that Estonia has carefully prepared for the upcoming event by assessing the risks and developing plans to mitigate them.
Answering a question about the theoretically worst case scenario, he pointed out that it could be a power outage for 72 hours, but stressed that there was no reason to worry about such a course of events.
After this conference, social media and Russian-related media, which are still available in Estonia, began to spread false information that after disconnecting from the BRELL network, there will be no electricity throughout Estonia for three days, the public media notes.
On the other hand, a couple of days later, on the 2nd of February, in response to questions from the Estonian National Broadcasting Organization, representatives of the rescue service gave general recommendations on how to proceed in the event of a prolonged power outage. Although the article emphasizes that there is no reason for alarm, since disconnection from the BRELL network is a planned, controlled process, it has not prevented the dissemination of this information in a distorted way.
Rescue service recommendations that promote general public awareness have been interpreted as an invitation (encouragement) for residents to go to bulk to buy food, prepare water supplies, and purchase power generators.
This has indeed caused anxiety among the Estonian population, as, according to the media of the neighbouring country, the volume of purchases of electricity generators has increased rapidly, many times the amount normally sold during this period. For example, in January, the home goods store “Bauhof” has sold tens of times more generators than last January.
This therefore leads to the conclusion that the information provided to journalists in two separate cases has been taken out of context and twisted into one false message. This gives the false impression that there has been a specific government crisis communication announcement that Estonia will be without electricity for 72 hours and for this reason people need to prepare to “survive” the weekend.
This is a clear example of how disinformation is created: statements from trusted sources are adapted to fit a specific narrative, emphasizes the public media.
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