The 450 Canadian troops stationed in Latvia face little danger from actual Russian military forces, which remain for now safely ensconced on the other side of the border. In response, close to a dozen Canadian soldiers in Latvia have been tasked to keep tabs on the propaganda disseminated against them, a Canadian Forces spokesman said. “This (disinformation) happens frequently,” said Janis Garisons, Latvia’s state secretary of defence, in an interview while visiting the Toronto-based McKenzie Institute. Just a week ago, pictures surfaced online that purported to depict Canadian troops buying up large quantities of beer in Latvian shops, said Garisons. Another episode featured a photograph of water bottles and military-ration packages discarded in the woods, depicted on a Russian-language pet-lover’s Facebook page as the work of current NATO troops.

Source: National Post November 17, 2017 23:58 UTC