3.1.2. VKontakte social network

WWER-1000 reactors) in Ukraine is available only at RNPP, and in Europe it is widespread as the main type since Soviet times. Following Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Finland will be able to diversify the supply of nuclear fuel for their nuclear power plants. For Russia, this means the end of TVEL’s monopoly as the sole and unalterable supplier of nuclear fuel and the reduction of its market in Europe .

Therefore, the raising wave of information against Ukraine in the nuclear energy sphere is not a coincidence. The information focused on sensitive issues of nuclear safety for Ukrainians and Europeans, with an emphasis on the “recurrence of Chernobyl”. A similar pattern of action by the Russian Federation has repeatedly occurred with the introduction of Westinghouse Electric fuel for WWER1000 reactors since the mid-2000s, when NNEGC Energoatom’s cooperation with its American partner became practical.

3.1.2. VKontakte social network

Content analysis on social media shows that the most aggressive discrediting campaign is conducted in the VKontakte network.

234 discrediting Russian-language analytical posts published from December 2014 to September 2020 were selected for analysis. These posts included 56 analytical articles, their reposts or a compilation of narratives from the articles.

Negative narratives that are implanted in society

Key narratives :

• Ukraine is a repository of nuclear waste from the United States and Europe, as well as their training ground;

• Ukraine uses expensive and dangerous American “pirated” fuel;

• Ukraine’s nuclear sphere - a continuous mess, an ecological threat to Europe;

• Ukraine uses the theme of “Chernobyl” to pump money from the West, which is partially stolen;

• The Western Countries control Ukraine’s nuclear energy;

• Ukraine will always dependend on Russia in energy sector.

Detailed narratives provided in Annex 20.

Based on the two most popular narratives (1 and 2), the main thesis that is embedded in the minds of readers is noticeable - «Ukraine is a nuclear colony of the West, which brings an ecological catastrophe for the local population. And the main reason for this is the refusal to cooperate with Russia in the nuclear field.»

The narratives of the 2020 posts confirm the dominance in the discrediting materials of the thesis about Ukraine as a landfill for nuclear waste in the West (75% of the materials).