How Sophisticated Russian Propaganda Shapes the Narratives
American journalist Joe Lindsley reports daily on Ukraine on Chicago's WGN Radio. Moscow skillfully conceals good news from Ukraine and the world, says the journalist, who has been monitoring the information space for two years while being directly in the epicenter of events in Ukraine. Here are some examples:
When Ukraine destroyed three powerful Russian planes in a week, Russia invented a story that one of the planes carried Ukrainian prisoners of war. World media wrote about the prisoners, although they had no evidence, but they did not mention Ukraine's military success.
When Ukraine celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Maidan (Revolution of Dignity of 2014), which is an example for the world of how citizens peacefully rise against the government, and the 2nd anniversary of Ukraine's full-scale resistance, the world was talking about a Russian, chanting his name even at rock concerts (referring to Alexei Navalny, who was in a Russian prison and whose cause of death is unknown).
When French President Macron delivered the most powerful speech of his life, admitting that the world was wrong about Ukraine and saying that it was time to stop speaking in the language of constraints and start speaking about Victory, which includes Crimea, whimsical messages about Macron's wife were prepared, hiding the news about his newfound courage.
Historian and international journalist Yegor Braylyan says that Russian propaganda spreads various narratives in Europe, which may vary from country to country, but in general they are: "The EU is a colony of the USA"; "Ukraine has already lost the war"; "Europe, by providing weapons to Ukraine, only prolongs it"; "everything is the fault of the USA".
In particular, there are two narratives - anti-Americanism and pacifism. The first is associated with the influence of leftist parties that emerged after World War II. The second is associated with the horrors of Nazism, and therefore war is perceived extremely negatively.
Russia also exploits Soviet nostalgia, inviting former famous singers or actors to Russia and to temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea.
Russia deeply studies the situation in various countries. In Spain, for example, there is a narrative about Ukrainian neo-Nazis and there are also pro-Russian Telegram channels. In Hungary, Russia exploits the fact that the country lost its territories after World War I. This thesis of Russian propaganda is also characteristic of Poland and Romania; as if these countries are planning to annex Ukrainian territories.
To verify why, where, and how Russian propaganda lies, there are fact-checking resources - EU vs Disinfo, the Central European Digital Media Lab, NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence.
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