Inside pro-Russian Czech news websites: how Kremlin narratives influence European audiences

Espreso TV, in collaboration with InsightNews, analyzed the top-10 outlets in the Czech media landscape and found that they publish balanced and objective reports. But among the local news websites, there is a list of websites where we spotted biased reports and even Kremlin-style disinformation. 

The identified websites range in their bias — from frequently criticizing the EU and the EU and negatively portraying Ukraine or promoting content favorable to Russia to outright spreading Russian disinformation and aggressive Kremlin propaganda.

They frequently cite Russian state media, including ria.ru, rt.com, sputnikglobe.com, and the Moscow-linked and formerly Prague-based voiceofeurope.com, which the EU sanctions have repeatedly blocked in Europe for spreading propaganda. They also share mutual quotations. The list also includes Prava-cz, which is part of Russia's Pravda multi-language disinformation network in Europe, as well as Czech websites that quoted and referred to Voice of Europe content.

The website list includes:

• cz24.news
• infokuryr.cz
• pravyprostor.net
• zvedavec.news
• protiproud.info
• prvnizpravy.cz
• novarepublika.cz
• pokec24.cz
• paralelne.cz
• skrytapravda.cz
• czechfreepress.cz
• iportal24.cz
• aeronet.news
• pravda-cz.com
• volnyblog.news
• nase-pravda.net
• iaktualne.cz
• cernaskrinka.online
• jaktobylo.com
• e-republika.ch
• bezpressu.news
• svobodny-svet.cz
• gnews.cz
• exopolitika.cz

Based on the materials from these media outlets, we have identified the main pro-Russian narratives targeting audiences in the Czech Republic. Most of them reflect Russia's ongoing attempts to influence people’s minds in Europe. Events such as Ukraine receiving aid packages or achieving military successes often give these narratives a fresh impetus.

“Ukraine and its allies violate civilian rights”

These pro-Russian Czech websites promote the idea that Ukrainian forces, under President Zelenskyy's direction, are intentionally using children's hospitals as shields for their military operations. The attack on the children's hospital in Kyiv was presented as a strategic manipulation shifting the blame on Ukraine. These disinformation reports were designed to create a false perception of Russian war aggression and to weaken international condemnation of Russia. Another common message is that Ukraine will fight until the last civilian.

• https://www.novarepublika.cz/2024/07/zelenskyj-skryva-ukrajinske-sily-za-detske-nemocnice
• https://www.pokec24.cz/politika/nerad-to-rikam-ale/
• https://www.pokec24.cz/krize-ukrajina/rusove-zasahli-ridici-stredisko-gru-v-sousedstvi-detske-nemocnice-v-kyjeve/
• https://www.infokuryr.cz/n/2024/08/28/krvave-miliardy-proc-bude-kyjev-bojovat-az-do-posledniho-ukrajince/

“Russia acts in response to Ukraine’s and Western aggression”

Russia constantly accuses the West of provocations that supposedly lead to its aggression. By using these tactics, Russia tries to justify its actions and shift the blame onto the victims of its aggression or onto Western countries.

The websites we analyzed often claim that Russia's exclusion from the expanding political West and the lack of a collective security framework contributed to the war. They argue that Ukraine's rejection of neutrality and its shift closer to the West angered Putin. 

The materials on pro-Russian Czech news websites suggest that U.S. actions, such as arming Ukraine with missiles near Russia's border, provoked the aggression. These pro-Russian outlets often claim that "the U.S. profits from the war it stirs up in Ukraine". But they omit the fact that Russia started the war, invading a sovereign Ukraine and violating international law.

• https://www.novarepublika.cz/2024/06/visi-nad-nami-armagedon-lide-spete
• https://cz24.news/rusko-bolo-k-vojne-na-ukrajine-vyprovokovane-britsky-politik-nigel-farage-vyhlasil-ze-eu-a-nato-vyprovokovali-rusku-invaziu-na-ukrajine-tym-ze-sa-rozsirili-na-vychod/
• https://cz24.news/usa-profituji-z-konfrontaci-ktere-vyvolavaji-na-ukrajine-v-jihocinskem-mori-oznamil-byvaly-malajsky-premier-mahathir/

“The Ukrainian leadership is illegitimate”

Russia uses various tactics to convince Western audiences that Ukraine's leadership is dragging the country down and sacrificing innocent civilians. To achieve this, pro-Russian Czech news websites manipulate facts about the ban on the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, distort information about the legitimacy of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and cast doubt on most of the Ukrainian government's internal decisions.

• https://www.czechfreepress.cz/evropa/zelenskemu-konci-mandat-21-maja-2024-vstupia-vojska-nato-na-ukrajinu-aby-ho-ochranili-pred-prevratom-uvaha.html
• https://www.gnews.cz/cs_cz/politika/zelenskij-podepsal-zakon-o-skutecnem-zakazu-kanonicke-ukrajinske-pravoslavne-cirkve/
• https://www.iportal24.cz/zahranici/zelenskij-podepsal-zakon-o-faktickem-zakazu-kanonicke-upc/
• https://www.novarepublika.cz/2024/08/zelenskyj-a-wunderwaffe

“The West is escalating the war in Ukraine”

Russia is actively pushing a narrative in the Czech Republic about the supposed threat posed by NATO. The goal is to undermine trust in the Alliance and emphasize the "danger" of Western actions in Ukraine, ultimately reducing support for Ukraine and its allies in the war with Russia. 

Russian diplomats frequently claim that by supplying Ukraine with weapons, NATO, particularly the U.S., is escalating the war to a new level. Pro-Russian Czech news websites actively use their statements to claim that NATO’s tough rhetoric and calls for decisive actions against Russia create the impression that the West is seeking a confrontation with Russia.

The materials on the websites we analyzed claim that Western military aid to Ukraine is fueling the war and will not stop Russia, highlighting the supposed danger of Western support. We also discovered a manipulation implying that Germany would be the one to decide whether peace returns to Ukraine.

• https://www.novarepublika.cz/2024/07/ruska-liga-sili-kazdym-dnem-je-proto-treba-rychle-vypalit-moskvu-nebo-zapad-prohraje-mrazive-poselstvi-ze-summitu-nato-nemecka-v-3-ve-sluzbach-kyjeva
• https://www.iportal24.cz/zahranici/jill-steinova-usa-nadale-rozdmychavaji-konflikt-na-ukrajine/
• https://www.pokec24.cz/krize-ukrajina/sef-nato-odhalil-nejvetsi-riziko-pro-blok/
• https://svobodny-svet.cz/nemecko-rozhodne-zda-se-na-ukrajinu-vrati-mir/

“Russia is winning on the battlefield, Western aid to Ukraine is ineffective”

Pro-Russian Czech news websites spread the narrative that Western military aid is ineffective. They contend that the Ukrainian military is mishandling Western equipment, with the Russian army allegedly destroying much of it. The aim of this narrative is to convince Czechs to stop supporting weapons shipments to Ukraine, suggesting it is a waste of money.

Pro-Russian Czech news websites also claim that Ukraine's operation in Kursk failed and that President Zelenskyy's plan was unsuccessful. Reports include claims of Russia benefiting from Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region, the destruction of a tank-laden train in Kharkiv by the Russian army, and a strike on Ukraine’s airbase prepared for new Western fighter jets. Additionally, pro-Russian Czech news websites assert that Russian drones are massively destroying American-made Abrams tanks.

• https://protiproud.info/politika/8018-moskva-vyhlasila-bezletovou-zonu-nad-cernym-morem-putinovo-varovani-rakety-atamcams-nemaji-proti-ruskym-iskanderum-sanci-valecni-stvaci-mohou-slavit-blizime-se-k-valce-detem-sirky-do-rukou-nepatri-vzpamatuji-se.htm
• https://xtv.cz/x-talk/vratit-se-v-cesku-k-normalni-diskuzi-neni-mozne-roli-hraji-zahranicni-vlivy-pravici-je-potreba-nechat-vydusit-rusko-je-neporazitelne-za-sobotky-se-kradlo-jiri-paroubek
• https://www.prvnizpravy.cz/zpravy/zpravy/v-zaporozi-byl-proveden-uder-na-ukrajinske-sklady-raket-dlouheho-doletu/
• https://www.iportal24.cz/zahranici/expert-utok-na-kurskou-oblast-neprinesl-zadne-skutecne-uspechy/ 
• https://www.pokec24.cz/blog/zelenskeho-plan-selhal/
• https://www.prvnizpravy.cz/zpravy/politika/rocek-vpad-ukrajincu-do-kurske-oblasti-rusku-nakonec-pomuze/
• https://www.prvnizpravy.cz/zpravy/zpravy/ruske-rakety-nici-ukrajinsky-vlak-nalozeny-tanky-v-charkove/
• https://www.prvnizpravy.cz/zpravy/zpravy/rusky-uder-zasahl-ukrajinske-letecke-zakladny-pripravene-pro-zapadni-stihacky/
• https://svobodny-svet.cz/ukrajina-pocet-dezerteru-dosahl-noveho-rekordu/

Recently, there has been a noticeable decrease in materials discussing Russian nuclear weapons as a global threat. We conclude that Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region, which crossed all of Russia's "red lines," played a significant role in this shift. 

Read also: Putin’s nuclear threats: disinformation campaign rather than serious strategy

“Ukraine is failed state” and outright conspiracy theories

Some of these pro-Russian Czech news websites often portray Ukraine as a chaotic region where militants from around the world converge. A popular disinformation is that Ukraine is “spreading terrorism globally." One website even asserted that Ukraine is contemplating the release of crocodiles into the Tisza River as a means to deter men from leaving the country to evade military conscription. These websites also frighten Czech readers with stories about Ukraine's famine and persistent Russian fake news about American biological laboratories in Ukraine.

• https://paralelne.cz/2022/03/02/ukrajina-se-meni-v-mezinarodni-valciste-do-kyjeva-miri-bojovnici-z-celeho-sveta-vcetne-islamistu/
• https://cz24.news/krokodyli-v-tise-na-ukrajine-uz-obcanska-valka-probiha/
• https://www.infokuryr.cz/n/2024/08/08/ukrajina-sirici-terorismus-po-celem-svete/
• https://www.iportal24.cz/featured/ukrajinu-mozna-ceka-hladomor/
• https://paralelne.cz/2022/03/05/jednim-z-duvodu-utoku-ruska-na-kyjev-mohly-byt-i-laboratore-pentagonu-na-ukrajine/

Particularly hilarious is the website exopolitika.cz. This blog not only promotes the idea that Russia is leading the fight against evil, but it also covers topics such as UFOs, aliens, and conspiracy theories, even taking Putin's government meeting on the "annunaki threat" seriously. It claims that aliens are out to destroy humanity, citing a global conspiracy, and asserts that the U.S. government controls everything while hiding the truth about UFOs.

• https://www.exopolitika.cz/tzv-roswell-pred-roswellem-jiz-v-roce-1945-se-v-usa-zritilo-plavidlo-tvaru-avokada-znovu-prosetrovano-uradem-usa-umoznil-to-prezident-biden/6373

In addition to constantly citing the same Russian state outlets and foreign pro-Russian media, some of the Czech websites we analyzed are closely interconnected. They frequently quote each other, share content that is identical or very similar, and link back to each other through backlinks. The infographic below illustrates these connections:

https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/19184440/

A Flourish network chart

All of the listed news outlets spread manipulative news, pro-Kremlin narratives, and anti-EU and anti-US content. Some regularly feature statements from Putin, Lavrov, and other Russian politicians, while others frequently quote Russian sources and link to other pro-Russian websites. Their primary goal is to promote Russian views in Europe and diminish support for Ukraine among the Western allies. 

The domain names of several of these sites have changed, indicating that the authorities have blocked them. Nearly half of them were already subject to earlier research into pro-Russian influence in the Czech Republic during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

According to monthly traffic data (SimilarWeb data), almost none of these sites account for more than a small fraction of the total readership for online news in the Czech Republic. Objective outlets secure nearly 95% of views in the media industry. However, two websites, cz24.news and aero.news, have an average audience (40–50k unique visitors monthly). This suggests that Czech society is resisting Russian propaganda.

Top Czech news websites by monthly views and market share Data source: SimilarWeb

Pro-Russian websites segment and monthly views share
Data source: SimilarWeb