• Malta showed that it takes cyber security seriously when it published its Cyber Security Strategy in 2016
• Neither the government nor the civil society pursues any specific policies aimed at countering disinformation campaigns.

Relations with the Russian Federation

No relations with Russia. Geographically distant from Russia and has almost no interest in any of the related issues.[1]

Malta is a small country dependent on oil imports, of which Russia takes the biggest share. Malta’s relations with Russia are insignificant. The Maltese government emphasizes the EU’s mediating role in the Ukraine crisis.[2]

Political acknowledgement of the threat

Being a state without significant relations nor problems with Russia, the issue is not high on Maltese agenda.

Malta has refused to allow Russian warships en-route to Syria to refuel in Maltese ports. Maltese intelligence has warned about possible cyberattacks and election interference as retaliation.[3]

Government activities against Russian influence & disinformation

Malta does not actively engage in dealing with this issue both at home and on the international scene. Nevertheless, the topic of cyber security is taken seriously on Malta, with its Cyber Security Strategy being published by the Ministry for Competitiveness and Digital, Maritime and Services Economy in 2016.[4]

Counter-intelligence activities

There are no known non-governmental organisations or institutions which noticeably engage in the topic of Russian disinformation and influence operations. Nevertheless, there are several projects on Malta aiming at improving media literacy. The Centre for Literacy is involved in policy advice, consultancies and training for different educational and professional bodies. The eSkills Malta Foundation is a coalition of various representatives from the government, industry and education who are working towards a digitally enabled knowledge economy on Malta. The Be Smart Online! project focuses on education in order to ensure a safer online experience for children.[5]

[1] “How do European democracies react to Russian aggression”. European Values. 22 April 2017. Available at: http://www.europeanvalues.net/russia/

[2] Janda, Sharibzhanov, Terzi, Krejčí and Fišer: “How do European democracies react to Russian aggression?”. European Values Think-Tank. 22 April 2017. Available at: Janda, Sharibzhanov, Terzi, Krejčí and Fišer: “How do European democracies react to Russian aggression?”. European Values Think-Tank. 22 April 2017. Available at: http://www.europeanvalues.net/vyzkum/european-democracies-react-russian-aggression/ 
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/27/russia-behind-cyber-attacks-says-malta-jseph-muscat 
[4] “Malta Cyber Security Strategy 2016”. Ministry for Competitiveness and Digital, Maritime and Services Economy. 2016. Available at: https://mita.gov.mt/en/maltacybersecuritystrategy/Pages/Malta-Cyber-Security-Strategy-2016.aspx 
[5] “Mapping of media lietaracy practices and actions in EU-28”. European Audiovisual Observatory. 2016. Available at: http://www.obs.coe.int/documents/205595/8587740/Media+literacy+mapping+report+-+EN+-+FINAL.pdf/c1b5cc13-b81e-4814-b7e3-cc64dd4de36c