Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to counter Russian disinformation against western countries and NATO.

Mr David Lidington

The UK is working with allies to support initiatives that promote a plural and balanced Russian-language media environment; enhance the strategic communications capabilities of NATO and the EU; and build resilience in the region to the impact of information warfare, including in Ukraine and Georgia.

We are also investing in soft power by supporting the work of the British Council and the BBC. The BBC’s global reputation and editorial independence is crucial. In keeping with its long-standing aim to “provide independent, impartial and accurate news across the world”, it is developing plans to enhance its BBC Russian digital service, for example by providing extended news bulletins to partner stations.