Chaos from the Kremlin: Disinformation as a Challenge to Western Democracies with Marcus Kolga

The Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC) interviewed Marcus Kolga, the founder and director of Disinfo Watch, and a senior fellow at the Macdonald–Laurier Institute, a public policy think tank located in Ottawa, Canada. The discussion is focused on the disinformation war being waged by Russia and the challenges it brings for Western countries to preserve its democracies.

Marcus Kolga is a documentary filmmaker, journalist, human rights activist and a leading Canadian analyst of foreign disinformation and influence operations. He frequently writes and comments on Russian and Central and Eastern European issues and disinformation in Canadian and international media. His articles have been published by The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The National Post, Macleans, the Atlantic Council, The European Observer, and other European publications.

Kolga led the Canadian civil society campaign for Magnitsky human rights sanctions legislation and has actively led and contributed to similar efforts in Estonia, Latvia, Sweden and Australia. He has spoken and testified in the US Capitol and the UK, Australian, Canadian, and Estonian Parliaments about Magnitsky Sanctions, Russian disinformation and Interpol reform.

Kolga founded DisinfoWatch.org in 2020 to monitor and analyze foreign disinformation targeting Canada. DisinfoWatch’s work in monitoring and analyzing foreign information and Influence operations has been featured in a wide range of national and international media. He has been sanctioned by both the Kremlin and China for his efforts to promote democracy and combat disinformation.