Propaganda in Asia: How to Fight the Kremlin's Influence

Information warfare has long gone beyond Europe. While the West is trying to stop Russia on the Ukrainian front, the Kremlin is building new rear-guards in Asia – in media, politics, and culture. 

This is a region where people do not expect the truth from CNN, but are ready to listen to RT Arabic; where the West is still perceived as a colonizer and Putin as an “anti-systemic fighter.” What can be done about this? And why is the Global South today not a background, but a key front in the battle of narratives?

Historical Background: Why the Asian Region Is Sensitive to Anti-Western Rhetoric

Asia is more than a geographic space. It is a continent shaped by historical traumas, centuries of colonial dependence, and anti-imperial narratives. In the 19th and 20th centuries, nearly every country in the region – from India to Vietnam – went through the experience of being enslaved by European empires. This experience turned the West into a cultural “other” on which it is easy to project distrust, anger, and criticism.

This is especially evident in the rhetoric of states that build their identity on anti-colonial motives – Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Laos, and Burma. In these nations, Anti-Western discourses resonate strongly: “democracy is not our model,” “human rights are a weapon for manipulation,” and “the West cares only about itself.” It is in this ideological landscape that the authoritarian propaganda of the Kremlin – and of China – thrives.

While the history of the institutions has not had time to take root, the memory of the disregard for national cultures, the British famine in Bengal, the French terror in Vietnam, or the Dutch exploitation in Indonesia, has remained. Therefore, all narratives that accuse the West of hypocrisy, cynicism, and double standards find such fertile ground.

Russia's Influence: How the Kremlin Builds Sympathy and Legitimacy in Asia

Russia has been active in Asia not only diplomatically but also informationally. The Kremlin is not trying to persuade; it is creating an alternative reality. Its main tools include media projects, pro-Russian experts, local Telegram networks, YouTube channels, and TikTok propaganda.

One of the most famous cases is RT Arabic, which, although primarily targeting the Arab world, has a significant reach in Indonesia, Pakistan, and Malaysia. In 2023-2024, it actively promoted materials about “anti-Russian Russophobia of the West,” “unfairness of sanctions” and “Ukraine as a NATO puppet.”

Sputnik India regularly runs headlines about “the degradation of Europe,” “Nazism in Kyiv,” and “the global isolation of the United States.” For example, in November 2024, the Indian edition of Sputnik released a series on the “Donbas genocide” which was instantly shared by pro-Russian Telegram channels in Bangladesh and Nepal.

The Kremlin also finances fake analysts who usually talk about the “diabolical role of the West” in fomenting war in Ukraine. Their videos get a million views each and are promoted by TikTok algorithms, which do not formally regulate content based on geopolitical principles.

Russian propaganda adapts to the local context. In Muslim regions, the message is: “The West is destroying Islam.” In countries with an anti-American tradition: “The United States is using Ukraine as a weapon.” In India, the narrative is even simpler: “Putin is not afraid, he is strong.”

China’s Influence: How Beijing Builds an Information Barrier Against Democratic Narratives

While Russia acts rudely, China acts systematically. Beijing has invested billions in creating an alternative information field in Asia. Key tool include:

– CGTN (English-language state TV channel), which is broadcast in more than 30 Asian countries;

– Confucius Institute with over 150 cultural centers in the region;

– TikTok, not officially state-run, but significantly influenced by its Chinese parent company ByteDance;

– WeChat, which spreads internal and external narratives of the PRC among Chinese diasporas.

Between 2023 and 2025, China actively used the theme of its “peacekeeping role” in Ukraine, blaming the West for escalating the war. In Pakistan, pro-Chinese media wrote that “China offers peace, while the United States supplies weapons.” In Myanmar, Chinese channels promoted messages about the “legitimacy of non-Western alliances,” and in Cambodia, they talked about the “benefits of a one-party model for stability.”

China is also linked to Russia in narrative synergy. During Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow in May 2025, a joint statement for the first time declared “shared information responsibility for maintaining global balance.” This is the institutionalization of propaganda cooperation.

Lack of Pro-Western Media: Why the US and Europe Lack Influence in the Region

Against the backdrop of aggressive propaganda by Russia and China, the West is silent in the region. Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, France24, BBC World Service are present but ineffective. The reasons are:

1. The content is not adapted. Western media speak the language of rationalism, law, and liberal individualism. In a region where religion, honor, collectivity, and tradition are vital, this language is perceived as artificial.

2. The formats are outdated. Longreads and reports do not work in the TikTok market. While RT India launches 30-second clips of Putin with dramatic music, CNN Asia publishes a 4,000-word column on geopolitics.

3. Bureaucracy. A week passes between the time a crisis breaks out and the moment the first BBC story is published in the local language. Russian Telegram channels respond in 10 minutes.

4. There is no local production. The initiative does not create local media alliances, does not invest in training, does not produce content that takes into account the language, style and cultural code of the recipients. Even the simple fact is that most VOA materials are not translated into Indonesian or Vietnamese.

How to Enter the Region: Windows of Opportunity and Local Partnerships

Despite all the complexity, the space is not lost. There are several tactical avenues that the West and Ukraine can use as part of this coalition.

1. Support for local initiatives. In the Philippines, there is a project called Rappler that fights disinformation. In Vietnam, there is an independent portal Luật Khoa that covers authoritarian threats. These platforms need resources, contacts, and training – on the ground, not in the center of Europe.

2. Working with influencers. Many regional bloggers criticize Putin but lack access to accurate information. If they received daily digests, graphics, and subtitles in English, they could be a better information conduit than NATO's Twitter account.

3. Co-productions. Creating joint videos, series, YouTube shows works better than press releases. For example, the fictional series “Border” about Ukrainian border guards, adapted for the Filipino audience with subtitles, explanations and a localized introduction, is easier and more effective than 15 MFA statements.

4. Religious dialogue. The Islamic world in Asia is represented by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. The opinion leaders in these countries are imams. This means that humanitarian communication should be conducted through the language of justice, suffering, and peace, not human rights and international law.

How to Counter Authoritarian Narratives: What Works and What Doesn't

Counteraction should not be a mirror image of propaganda. The West should build an alternative, not symmetry. What works?

– Fact-checking in the format of memes. For example, the Taiwan FactCheck Center platform uses memes to expose China's disinformation. It's popular, simple, and accessible.

– Humor and irony. Parody TikTok videos that ridicule Russian rhetoric have a greater effect than academic criticism.

– Visual simplicity. Infographics instead of tables and comics instead of brochures. In South Korea, the campaign against COVID-19 fakes was based on a series of graphic stories and reached over 7 million young people.

Ukraine has something to share. Our experience in combating ISIS, fact-checking, working with Telegram infrastructure, and adapting messages for different audiences are cases that can be scaled up to Asia. It is worth initiating the creation of an information security exchange center with ASEAN countries. The region lacks localized content, and Ukraine can provide both content and an example.

The information battle for Asia is already underway, but the West is not yet involved. Russia and China have seized the initiative. Their narrative is simple: The West is weak, duplicitous, and hostile to traditions. And as long as the West is not heard, these messages will become the norm.

Ukraine has a chance to enter the game. We are the main shield against the empire that opposes the West. We are a country that tells the truth, no matter what. Our experience is proof that freedom is worth the effort. And that is a message even the most skeptical viewer in an Indian village can understand.

Bohdan Popov, head of digital at the United Ukraine Think Tank, communications specialist, and public figure