What is Wolfgang Richter, retired colonel, doing at an informal "breakfast" in Moscow? 🧵1/14
Since 2022, Wolfgang Richter has become widely known as a military and security expert in various news formats. He warns of increasing escalation risks and advocates for dialogue with Russia. Video: @Markus__Lanz 🧵2/14
Strangely, Wolfgang Richter doesn't mention his 2019 trip to Moscow in his speeches about "escalation," but the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) does. 🧵3/14
In addition to Wolfgang Richter, Wolfgang Zellner, deputy director of the IFSH (Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy, University of Hamburg), also participated in the "Úrbi et órbi" breakfast. Evgeny Buzhinsky represented Russia. 🧵4/14
Evgeny Buzhinsky, Lieutenant General in the Reserves, Chairman of the PIR Center, Vice President of the RIAC, and a member of Putin's "Valdai" Propaganda Club. Even before the Great War, Buzhinsky was a strong critic of the US and NATO; since 2022, he has been an active supporter of the war in Ukraine. 🧵5/14
The so-called "City Breakfast" on the topic "Weapons under Control: Will Russia and NATO Reach an Agreement? Expert Assessments," in which Wolfgang Richter and Wolfgang Zellner participated, took place in Moscow on November 24, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. 🧵6/14
"How Russia's 'cultural-humanitarian' propaganda secretly penetrates other countries": The most well-known result of the Kremlin's "soft power" has been the increase in media resources and the influence of "experts." 🧵7/14
RIAC (Russian Council on Foreign Affairs) is a non-profit organization focused on conducting research in the field of international relations and developing practical recommendations in the interests of Russian government and business. 🧵8/14
The RIAC was founded in 2010 by order of then-Russian President Medvedev. The Gorchakov Foundation, which funds the RIAC, was also established in the same year. The Gorchakov Foundation organized the "Potsdam Meetings" in Germany under the direction of Matthias Platzeck. 🧵9/14
Sergey Lavrov is the chairman of the Board of Trustees. The governing bodies (Presidium) include renowned figures such as Igor Ivanov, a Russian politician; Fyodor Lukyanov, director of the Valdai International Discussion Club and a columnist for numerous propaganda publications in Russia; editor-in-chief of the magazine "Russia in Global Politics"; Dmitry Peskov, deputy head of the Presidential Administration and Putin's press secretary; Andrei Rudenko, deputy minister of foreign affairs; and Ivan Timofeyev, program director of the Valdai Club. 10/14
The council cooperates with Russian government agencies and is funded from the federal budget and Russian companies. Media outlets collaborating with the RIAC include Russia's largest propaganda outlets. 11/14
Russian media are using Wolfgang Richter's comments and articles for propaganda purposes. By citing European "experts," Russian propaganda lends credibility to its narratives without having to rely exclusively on Russian sources. 🧵12/14
It turns out that Wolfgang Richter is a supporter of Varwick's "escalation spiral" and also a panelist at @UniHalle. The editor-in-chief of the journal "Russia in World Politics," who conducted an exclusive interview with Johannes Varwick, is none other than Fyodor Lukyanov, director of the Valdai Club and one of the aforementioned RIAC presidium members. 🧵13/14
Only on September 22, 2023, will the RIAC be placed on Canada's sanctions list against entities involved in "the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and the creation and dissemination of disinformation and propaganda." 🧵14/14
