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. 28 2014 .
http://www.pravoslavie.ru/smi/70259.htm
http://politobzor.net/show-18704-karl-bildt-rossiya-stroit-pravoslavnyy-bastion-protivzapada.html
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/carl-bildt-russian-disinformation/

Carl Bildt & Russian Disinformation

By Rod Dreher May 5, 2014, 11:07 AM

Theres a Russian news agency story rocketing around the Orthodox web alleging this:
Carl Bildt, Swedens Minister for Foreign Affairs and one of the architects of the EU Eastern
policy, thinks Russia has changed for the worse in the past several years. While it demonstrated
attachment to western values in the first decade after the Soviet Union fell apart and tried to
impose them on its citizens, Russias current leadership takes a firm stand against the West, the
Russian agency REX reported.
In the words of Mr Bildt, Vladimir Putin demonstrates attachment not to world but to Eastern
Orthodox values, which becomes clear from a Twitter post of his [Bildts].
The new anti-west and anti-decadent line [of conduct] of Putin is based on the deep
conservatism of Eastern Orthodox ideas, Carl Bildt is convinced.
The Swedish minister explains the striving to destroy the Ukrainian church and bring the
Ukrainian autocephaly back into the fold of the Moscow Patriarchate with Putins striving to
gain control over Ukraine. But precisely Eastern Orthodoxy, according to Bildt, is the main
threat to western civilisation.
The Swedish foreign minister thinks that Eastern Orthodoxy is the main threat to Western
civilization? That would be frightening if it were true. But its not true. Heres the original Bildt
tweet:
Thats significantly different from what the Russian news agency claims Bildt said. In fact, what
Bildt says in his actual tweet (not the exaggerated propaganda version) is substantially true, and
it has been celebrated by Pat Buchanan (though many critics have argued that Putin is exploiting
Orthodoxys conservatism for the sake of Russian nationalism). In any case, we have to be very
careful not to be naive about what comes out of Russia these days from Russian news sources.
Dont trust until youve verified.
UPDATE: I agree with some of the commenters below that American news reporting out of
Russia and the region should be viewed with skepticism too. I will also say that I dont find the
EU to be a friend of Christianity, Orthodox or not. That said, propaganda is propaganda.
Posted in Media, Russia. Tagged Carl Bildt, disinformation, Orthodoxy, Putin, Russia, Russian
Orthodoxy.

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36 Responses to Carl Bildt & Russian Disinformation

1. charles cosimano says:
May 5, 2014 at 12:07 pm
It seems that the Russians are falling back into their old ways. I was told yesterday that
Gazproms profits were not affected by the warm winter in Europe. I just nodded politely.
2. Ryan D. says:
May 5, 2014 at 12:13 pm
Maybe he should send Hans Blix over there to start inspecting churches.
3. VikingLS says:
May 5, 2014 at 12:21 pm
Having seen the way the west reports on Russia from the inside, Id be careful with nonRussian news sources as well.
4. Manfred Arcane says:
May 5, 2014 at 12:21 pm

What Bildt actually said is bad enough, of course.

5. Ben H says:
May 5, 2014 at 12:27 pm
In any case, we have to be very careful not to be naive about what comes out of Russia
these days from Russian news sources. Dont trust until youve verified.
I think we can safely discount any news coming out of Russia as either Russian or antiRussian propaganda (unless its one of those videos from someones dash cam).
6. VikingLS says:
May 5, 2014 at 12:27 pm
That should not be interpreted to mean that I am saying Russian news sources are
trustworthy, just that having seen the way the media covers stories Ive lived within, Id
be careful with getting too invested with any story until its been verified.
7. David says:
May 5, 2014 at 12:35 pm
Concerning the Ukrainian situation, and the ongoing confrontation between Russia and
the West (US & EU), I have been following Russian, American, and British news
sources. As a conservative Orthodox Christian, I have found our American media to be
much more distrustful and propaganda filled than Russias.
8. SteveM says:
May 5, 2014 at 12:59 pm
Bildts Tweet is opaque no matter how you interpret it. Drawing conclusions from 140
character mind dumps on Twitter without asking the author for elaboration is pointless.
Twitter is a garbage platform for exchanging meaningful ideas.
9. collin says:
May 5, 2014 at 1:09 pm
All I say with the Ukrainian Civil War, it feels right that somebody is having a war and
the USA is not just inviting itself into the mix. (And David Brooks is sad! So hopefully
we stay out in the long run.)
At this point, the Russian media is still hailing as the Putin conquering hero. So I believe
nothing it says.
10. Richard Parker says:
May 5, 2014 at 1:33 pm

Lets get this out of the way. I voted for Ronald Regan every chance I got and growing up
in California that was a lot. I would still vote for him. No weak willed lefty here.
What happened in Odessa to the Russians trapped in the Trade Union building was
barbaric murder and the US media is shamefully soft pedaling the horror. The roll of the
US government in releasing these forces is despicable.
To get some sense of what is really happening on the ground Russia Today TV RT.Com is
your best source. (Yes, keep your waders on but no more than with USA media.)
It what possible world is burning trapped people alive a good idea? This is equivalent to
the Krystal Natch (sp) to me.
Here is one link from RT among many:
http://rt.com/news/156744-video-footage-odessa-fire/
Both the Russian and Ukrainian people have been poorly served by their respective
histories.
11. HeartRight says:
May 5, 2014 at 1:39 pm
I understand Bilds comments full well.
Putins line against Western decadence will IMHO have appeal in Asia. Possibly in other
places Africa, Latin America as well.
Demoracy need neither encompass nor tolerate liberal values, whether cultural or
political or economical.
Adding the Decadence-angle? I can very well imagine either Mrs Roussef or Mr Modi or
Mr Erdogan or the late Mr Chavez taking a positive interest in Putins mix.
True, none of them will embrace all 3 elements of Putins Mix, but 2 out of 3 aint bad.
12. WillW says:
May 5, 2014 at 1:45 pm
There is no Pravda in Pravda. Of course, nowadays there is very little Pravda in any
mainstream U. S. news outlet. I seriously fear the way the world is heading.
13. Chris 1 says:
May 5, 2014 at 1:46 pm
Maybe he should send Hans Blix over there to start inspecting churches.
Blix was substantively correct in his assessment in Iraq, so thats not a bad idea at all.
14. Labropotes says:

May 5, 2014 at 2:27 pm

I dont see the quote as seriously misrepresented. Isnt based on the meaning of
building on in this context? Is this a re-translation issue?
Both texts seem to say that the west underestimates Russian resolve because Russian
resistance has become entwined with ancient religion and nationalism. Seems
uncontroversial to me. The west has its sacred issues too, like democracy and human
rights that we base our power grabs on. A society trying to align its actions and values
with an ancient Church will fare better than one focused on free stuff and disinhibition.
15. Andrew says:
May 5, 2014 at 3:26 pm
Rod, it is not news agencyit is some kind of fringe website. Believe me, I know
Russian News Agencies. Here is one of many, as an example.
http://en.itar-tass.com/
Here is one of the more Orthodox news portals.
http://ruskline.ru/
16. SteveM says:
May 5, 2014 at 3:35 pm
Parenthetically, the incestuous Power Elite love-fest that was the over-the-top White
House Correspondents Dinner over the weekend gives you a clue has to how
independent the independent MSM has become.
17. The Guides says:
May 5, 2014 at 3:59 pm
Eastern Orthodoxy is obviously not the main threat to Western civilization. Fear of
Eastern Orthodoxy on that score is on a par with fear of conservative Islam see
Kiplings Ballad of East and West. And Assuming this story is genuine, I dont like
Bildts implied defense of western decadence, which is all too real, something of which
we should be ashamed and trying to free ourselves.
But lets be straight: there is also no doubt that for all that it is Christian, Eastern
Orthodoxy is Eastern, not Western. Westerners can adopt it but it is someone elses
patrimony, not ours.
18. MikeCA says:
May 5, 2014 at 4:14 pm
The Orthodox Church in Russia by and large has been hand in glove with reactionary
forces since Tsarist times. The day that Alexander II was blown to bits by anarchists he

had signed a manifesto that would liberalise Russia dramatically; when his son Alexander
III discovered this he was going to go forward until a key advisor closely aligned with the
Church persuaded him that democracy was directly opposed to Orthodoxy and to the
divine rights of the Tsar. If Alexander pre had not been killed when he was & if
Alexander fils had fulfilled his fathers wishes a cruel twist of fate.
Putin fancies himself a modern day Tsar and he controls the government & the military
and is using the church to reinforce his father & protector of greater Russia image. It is
a worrisome situation that will require great skill on both sides to avoid potential disaster.
19. picky says:
May 5, 2014 at 4:22 pm
It really is remarkable to watch the cynicism and overblown distrust coming from the
right.
To suggest that all the U.S. media is just as much propaganda as the media of a country
whose media has entirely been taken over by the Putin govt is absurd. Dont trust U.S.
media, fine, then watch something else, but dont through your common sense out the
window.
As to decadence, go ahead, praise the return to Orthodoxy from the corrupt billionaire
who dates dancers (not of the Bolshoi variety) and divorces his wife.
The gullibility it burns
20. Georgio Komninos says:
May 5, 2014 at 4:37 pm
Even though the tweet is unclear as to what he meant, I simply cannot help but think that
he could not possibly have expected anything good from involving religion in this
21. SteelyTom says:
May 5, 2014 at 4:45 pm
Bildt is certainly correct, at least if one distinguishes the Gospel from deeply
conservative orthodox ideas, i.e., Jesus of Nazareth from Vladimir of Moscow.
22. Darth Thulhu says:
May 5, 2014 at 5:32 pm
There is a lot of Slavic internet propoganda bilge, just like there is a lot of Tea Party
internet propoganda bilge, just like there is a lot of Wahabbi internet propoganda bilge,
just like there is a lot of Chinese nationalist internet propoganda bilge.
Dont trust any of it without deeper exploration. The shrieking, violent id of fallen
humanity is the same in any language, and the temptations to distort and misrepresent
simple facts for personal gain and vented umbrage are eternal and unchanging.

23. I Don't Matter says:

May 5, 2014 at 5:51 pm
As a conservative Orthodox Christian, I have found our American media to be much
more distrustful and propaganda filled than Russias.
Why do you have to declare your Orthodox Christianity prior to stating your finding? Do
facts care about you? Would it change the propaganda fill ratio if it were stated by an
atheist?
Repeat after me: I dont matter. Its good for the soul.
24. Fran Macadam says:
May 5, 2014 at 6:58 pm
As reprehensible and irresponsible as it was, my country, right or wrong made more
sense than my oligarch, right or wrong. This is a fight over money and who gets to
control it, with the sad consensus that being reached in Washington that protection of the
elites assets requires a world empire dominating all. In the sense of the 300 million of us
being American, there are no American assets of ours to protect. All that we reap to our
own insecurity, loss of freedom and authoritarianism can be laid at the feet of the insane
desire to completely dominate the globe.
25. JonF says:
May 5, 2014 at 7:13 pm
Re: Eastern Orthodoxy is Eastern, not Western.
Depends on what you mean by Eastern. Eastern as in Eastern Europe, yes. But thats
as far East as you can push the cultural moniker.
And really, the Orthodox faith has the same roots that western Christianity does: the
heritage of Judaism mingled with the wisdom of Greece and the majesty of Rome, and
the Gospels at the center while the worms of human sin and folly gnaw at the edges.
26. seamus_padraig says:
May 5, 2014 at 7:52 pm
Well, if its a non-Russian source on Carl Bildt youre after, heres a thorough take-down
of him written by a fellow Swede: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/05/02/sweden-nolonger-a-force-for-good/
Incidentally, I also agree with some of the other posters here concerning the reliability of
the media. As slanted as RTs coverage sometimes is, I actually find that the mainstream
Western media outlets these days are even worse. Thanks God we still have TAC and
CounterPunch! Too bad you guys only do commentary and not battle field reporting
[NFR: Yeah, as I said, I don't think the EU or Carl Bildt have the best interests of
Christianity at heart. That doesn't mean Putin does either. -- RD]

27. AnotherBeliever says:

May 5, 2014 at 8:25 pm
I take nothing coming out of Ukraine at face value. For example, there were reports that
flyers were being circulated requiring Jewish residents to register. These were supposedly
the work of pro-Russian separatists. But were they ever verified to exist? Rumors thrive
in war zones. If so, were they printed by pro-Russian factions actually attached to Putins
cause? Or by Ukrainian partisans trying to discredit them? Or by rival factions of one or
the other? Opportunists? Who can tell? We used to play this game all the time in Iraq,
when this Abu Ahmed would claim that that Abu Hassan was a terrorist. You cant even
trust live video feeds. Is the scene staged, the mob paid, whats happening just off
camera? Verify, and even then, dont trust. Truth is the first casualty of war, its been said.
28. AnotherBeliever says:
May 5, 2014 at 8:34 pm
The shrieking, violent id of fallen humanity is the same in any language, and the
temptations to distort and misrepresent simple facts for personal gain and vented
umbrage are eternal and unchanging.
Darth, that was a stroke of poetry. Nicely done.
Picky, I may trust reports of facts emerging from Western media sources slightly more
than reports of facts from Russian and Ukrainian sources. But only if said Western media
outlet has a correspondent very close to the scene. And even then, I have to consciously
strain out all the editorial comments, the tone, and most of the adjectives. These are not
only irrelevant but also distorting.
29. VikingLS says:
May 5, 2014 at 8:59 pm
@Picky
Putin doesnt control print journalism or the radio in Russia, just the television media.
Seriously this is something I know about firsthand.
That doesnt make print sources, even those opposed to the regime reliable, but its not
true that Putin controls all the media or even that the government in general does.
Im not saying this to defend Putin, but I was there for a long a time during is tenure.
30. VikingLS says:
May 5, 2014 at 9:11 pm
Vice News had the best info coming out of Ukraine because, despite the editorial stance
the footage was so up front that the picture of the situation was clearer than whats
coming out of most media sources on all sides. Unfortunately some of the separatists
kidnapped Simon Ostrovsky for several days.

This is where he started.

31. EG says:
May 5, 2014 at 10:44 pm
See Voxs satirical take on Putin as orthodoxys view on Europe topic:
http://www.vox.com/2014/5/5/5683458/this-satirical-map-shows-what-vladimir-putinreally-thinks-of-europe
32. Richard Parker says:
May 6, 2014 at 1:05 am
Thanks for the link to Vice.
33. picky says:
May 6, 2014 at 5:16 pm
Its true that Putins takeover or silencing of media has mostly affected TV. But those TV
stations are often the flagship division of the news agency he actually acted against.
Those agencies supply news to print, as well.
Also, many of the major papers, while not silenced, have been purchased by Gazprom
and other tentacles of the pro-Putin oligarchy.
The very rapid takeover of the TV and internet media over a span of a few months has
silenced almost everyone whos still free.
34. Anatolyi says:
May 10, 2014 at 2:59 pm
One thing that western news sources fail to mention, is that the Russian sources claim
that wes western intelligence services were involved in the 2014 Kiev revolution.
Another thing that is not mentioned in our press is that Ukraine, in which Orthodoxy is
the majoritarian religion among churchgoers (73%albeit divided into three church
organizations), is now governed by an unelected coalition cabinet led by a Prime Minister
who is Catholic and headed by a acting President who is a Baptist preacher!
Catholics make up about 15% and Protestants about 2% of believers. The prime ministers
of Ukraine since independence who have declared a religious preference have all have
been Orthodox, except the current one. The presidents of Ukraine since independence
have all have been Orthodox, except the current one.
From the Russian and Orthodox perspective, these factsseem to show that the west is
using Ukraine as a bridgehead to the East.
35. constantin says:

May 13, 2014 at 6:05 am

Thank you for this comment and info, if someone wants to destroy Christianity He would
make conflict between Churches,
we cry for ecumenism and new evangelism
36. Evan C. Lambrou says:
May 23, 2014 at 1:13 pm
As an Orthodox Christian, I appreciate Mr. Drehers opinion that Eastern Christianity is
not a threat to Western Civilization.
With respect to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, it would serve Western interests much
better if America and Europe both developed a proper academic understanding of
Christianitys Eastern heritage, not only as it pertains to Russia and Ukraine, but also as it
pertains to the Balkans, Eastern Europe and the Near East, where Orthodox Christians
have been persecuted by Muslim majorities for centuries, and where the oppression
continues unabated even today.
We can not claim to fully understand Christianity by considering only its Western half.
We must also study the Eastern half which, in actuality, is also embedded in Western
history and society.
For example, Greece is an Orthodox Christian country. Greece is also the cradle of
democracy and Western Civilization. Greece is a full member of the European Union and
NATO. Greece is part of Europe, which is part-and-parcel of the West. But because
Greece is located in Southeast Europe, it still perceived in some quarters as not really a
Western country. In any case
The fact that Christendom itself remains divided is a major reason why Christianity is
under attack. In short, we can not have one without knowing the other. We do injustice
to others, and also to ourselves, when we remain biased and ignorant.

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