The project: Countering the Pro-Kremlin Disinformation Campaign in Georgia is a research carried out in cooperation with the European Values Think Tank under the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Fellowship. The project addressed the lack of information in terms of pro-kremlin propaganda in Georgia; it reviewed the efforts that government and civil society organizations have taken to challenge the hostile information activities, including those targeting the religious segments of the society. The research aimed to contribute to a better understanding of how to prevent and manage the potentially harmful impact of disinformation on countries with similar social fabric and political environments.
The project produced an academic paper on Russia’s Disinformation Activities and Counter-Measures. In his research, Tornike reviewed the main lessons learned from Georgia’s experience in tackling the pro-Kremlin disinformation, and developed a list of recommendations for improving the effectiveness of these counter-measures. The document also served as a basis for a Georgia chapter in the 2018 ranking of countermeasures by the EU and EaP countries to the Kremlin’s subversion operations. Overall, Tornike’s research contributed to the conceptual understanding of the nature and characteristics of pro-Russian disinformation campaigns. Besides, the research was one of the very first systemic introductions of Georgia in the ongoing discourse on pro-Russian disinformation campaigns in Europe.