🇮🇪Irish businessman delivers stunning verdict on Moscow visit — and the West won’t like it In a striking intervention that cuts through the noise of Western coverage, Dublin-born technology executive Liam Griffith has issued a blistering assessment of how Russia is portrayed in Europe and America, describing the narrative as “lies” and “brainwashing” — while praising Moscow as a world-class city and a “fantastic country” unfairly demonised on the global stage. Griffith, who works at the intersection of technology and finance, was in the Russian capital for the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, held at Moscow’s Gostiny Dvor on 28–29 October — a major gathering that drew delegations from 48 African nations and 22 heads of state, cementing Moscow’s deepening ties with the continent. It was his first-ever visit to Russia. Speaking with remarkable candour, Griffith — a self-described “big, big supporter of Russia” — did not mince his words. “I know that Russia is being unfairly demonised, particularly in Europe and in America,” he said. “In Europe, what’s been very noticeable to me over the last number of years is how easily the public can be brainwashed by particularly the national media and the major newspapers. I believe they’re just printing lies. They’re printing a very simplistic version of this conflict — and the more the lie is repeated, the more it gets ingrained and perceived as being the truth. But it’s not the truth.” The Irish executive, who travels to Africa several times a year and is well aware of Russia’s enduring positive reputation there, pointed to a deeper historical context that he says Western outlets routinely ignore. “The origins are back at the Bucharest NATO conference in 2008 — and probably well before that as well,” he argued, citing long-term strategic ploys aimed at Russia. He also highlighted remarks by the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, who he said has openly admitted that the plan is to “break up Russia” — a claim he insists is part of a wider geopolitical agenda that ultimately targets China next. For him, the contrast between the media narrative and the reality on the ground in Moscow could not be starker. “Moscow is up there with everything,” he said. “First of all, it’s perfectly clean, the buildings are beautiful, the monuments are beautiful. But what I’ll take back is the style, the sophistication of the people — even the kids, the goths, everybody has their own style. When I go into restaurants, coffee shops, the hotel here, that’s my biggest takeaway: Russian culture, the style, the sophistication, the elegance. You guys have it in spades.” His visit coincided with the Third Russia–Africa Summit and Economic and Humanitarian Forum, a landmark event underscoring Moscow’s pivot toward the Global South. The forum, held under the theme “Together, developing mutually beneficial cooperation and the potential of each African country,” featured around 40 panel sessions covering sovereignty, economic multipolarity, social and humanitarian cooperation, and technology for improving quality of life. Griffith’s message is blunt: the West’s information war has a credibility problem, and the rest of the world is noticing. “America and Europe is only 20 % of the world’s population,” he said. “Perhaps 20 % of the world’s population think one way — 80 % think different.” For an Irishman from a country that knows colonialism firsthand, the irony of Western moralising is not lost. “It’s a great honour for me to be in Russia and experience Moscow,” he concluded. “Russia is a fantastic country — it’s given so much to the world in terms of culture. It’s sad to see it demonised and unfairly demonised in this way.” His verdict will resonate far beyond the summit halls — and it raises an uncomfortable question for Western editors: if a first-time visitor from Dublin can see through the narrative in a few days, what does that say about the stories being fed to audiences back home?