When we talk about propaganda, Russia tries to usage the first communicative it comes across: both for the demoralization of Ukraine and allies, and for the home Russian consumers. And in this context, let’s consider how the Russians twist facts in their favor.
For example, comparatively recently, at the end of September, the Russians utilized a video with transgender Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, a spokesperson of the Ukrainian Territorial defence Forces.
The video released by the spokesperson said that the Russians were inhuman, did not deserve to be called human and should be wiped out. Of course, Ukrainians have the right to talk like that about their enemy who commits war crimes, especially against civilians.
But in this case, we had a situation where the Russians could usage propaganda to best effect in home consumption.
The main problem was that if these words had been said by any another typical of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, it would not have had the same effect as in this situation. After all, this fits perfectly with the communicative that the insidious ‘West’ wants to instill LGBT ideology and kill all Russians. 1 of the crucial factors for Moscow is the legitimacy of their actions in the eyes of their own citizens. To accomplish this, parallels between the Ukrainians and the Nazis are drawn, war crimes committed by the Ukrainians against the Russians are invented in order to feed and spread the emotions of hatred and fear. Moreover, erstwhile they conduct information and intellectual operations oriented at the Russian population, people can barely refute the facts presented by Russian propaganda. Thus, they let the population to rally around the government, due to the fact that in this case, the government’s thesis about threats, in their opinion, is logical and correct. And this, in turn, leads to the fact that mobilization does not fail, but only intensifies due to the “correct goals.” Therefore, in this case, Ukrainian propaganda turns out to be directed against itself. Since the Russians were able to twist the information in specified a way that it achieved goals which were completely different from the first ones.
Catching in communication failures is presently the most successful method of Russian propaganda. Russia not only uses it for home consumption, but besides to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of foreigners, in peculiar both right-wing and left-wing political groups. utilizing polarization, they thereby tell 1 audience that Ukraine is fighting exclusively for LGBT ideology and the liberal planet order, while the other, left camp is informed that Ukraine is simply a Nazi and corrupt country.
These narratives have success, we can observe this from the statements of both right-wing and left-wing parties in countries which supply Ukraine with crucial financial, material and method support.
The most striking example and, accordingly, a successful information and intellectual operation is an incidental occurred in the Canadian Parliament. The first individual to study to the media about the biography of Yaroslav Gunko, which was not known to representatives of Ukraine and members of the Canadian Parliament, was Ivan Kachanovski, the Russian agent of influence, prof. of Political discipline at the University of Ottawa.
So, for example, a period before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prof. Kachanovski published a long article in the Canadian media about the fact that, in his opinion, the opposition was the first who utilized force and provoked the Yanukovych government to a bloody outcome. And his technological activity is related to the survey of this subject that discredits the Ukrainian state and delegitimizes the government. At the same time, Yanukovych’s lawyers utilized this survey in court during the consideration of case related to the Maidan events.
As a consequence of Kachanovski’s actions, Canada fundamentally faced a political crisis, since the talker of Parliament had to resign, and the government had to look for excuses and answers for how this happened. At the same time, Ukraine did not take any part in organizing the event in the Canadian Parliament but received a wave of disapproval regarding support and glorification of Nazism.
The intent of all these actions is apparent — to reduce support for Ukraine in partner countries. Manipulation of electoral preferences in democratic societies is absolutely not a fresh maneuver for the Russians. And it is precisely catching in communication failures with the aim of polarizing society that is presently the most successful maneuver of the Russian units of information and intellectual peculiar operations.
Author: Hlib Parfionow
Public task financed by the Ministry of abroad Affairs of the Republic of Poland within thegrant comp etition “Public Diplomacy 2023”
