The Propaganda War: Opposition Sings Kremlin Tune on Ukraine
AFP
The
propaganda war in the Ukraine crisis has spawned a renewal Russian
nationalism, with members of the opposition and the intellectual class
suddenly praising President Putin. Many in Russia are accepting the
Kremlin's official line uncritically.
Perhaps
Alexander Byvshev was a little naïve. Maybe he thought his small
village was somehow a safe haven from the world of global politics. But
how wrong he was.
Byvshev, a German teacher in the district of Orlov, recently opened up his local newspaper, Sarya, or "the dawn," only to find his name featured in a prominent slot. "In these troubled times, when enemies outside the country are showing their teeth and preparing to take the leap of death, you can find people who would like to undermine Russia from within," the newspaper wrote. "People like A. Byvshev."
How did Byvshev wind up in the newspaper? All it took was a short poem he wrote and posted on VK, Russia's popular social network answer to Facebook. He had directed the poem at "patriot cheerleaders" who uncritically follow Moscow's propaganda. "From a very early age, I have been accustomed to not telling lies," Byvshev says. "If Russia stole Crimea from Ukraine, then one has to speak openly about the fact that it was theft."
'No Place for Patriots Like This in Russia'
It's an openness that hasn't done him much good recently. "There's No Place for Patriots Like This in Russia," blared the headline of the article about Byvshev. Acquaintances stopped greeting him, local businesses began ignoring his presence and now the local regional prosecutor is threatening to press charges against him for "incitement to hatred." He faces two years behind bars if convicted.
It is an incident reminiscent of the 1930s, an era when the line between Communist and public enemy was a fine one. At the time, Stalin had hundreds of thousands of so-called enemies of the people shot and killed.
Today, Moscow's territorial claims in Ukraine have unleashed a sense of nationalism so aggressive that it has silenced virtually all critical voices. Indeed, it is a singular official view that appears to have prevailed in Russia -- namely that a clique in Kiev, with American support, is seeking to destroy Ukraine despite heroic efforts by millions in the eastern part of the country. And that these people need Russia's support.
The ability to differentiate appears to have evaporated and the state propaganda machine has become as effective as it is comprehensive. The media seem to be following it in lockstep, as evidenced last week. "Ukraine Is Waging War against Its Own People" read the front page of one issue of Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the official Russian government newspaper, in response to the decision by the interim government early last week to send troops to the eastern part of the country. The "Kiev junta" wants to "bombard the Donbas," commented Russia's largest-circulation daily, Komsomolskaya Pravda, adding: "Our people are mourning the dead and injured." "Sloviansk is covered in blood," claimed the tabloid Tyov Den ("Your Day"). None of these reports is true.
Have Russians Become Gullible?
The problem is that people in Russia these days seem to believe almost every false report that comes out of Moscow, and few are questioning their accuracy. New channel Russia 24 unceasingly shows Ukrainians in the eastern part of the country holding machine guns and grenade launchers. But nobody in Russia bothers to ask where they are getting their arms from.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, the man ostensibly rushing to the aid of Russians in Ukraine, is the hero of the day. Finally, Russians seem to believe, he is paying the West back for years of humiliation. And yet the justifications Putin has provided could hardly be more cynical.
Last Wednesday, Putin declared the escalation of the crisis in eastern Ukraine to be the product of the "irresponsible and unconstitutional policies of the regime in Kiev," which, he claimed had used the army to suppress the protests of peaceful citizens in the region. Yet to that point, there had been little activity by the army. During the Maidan square revolt, he called for the exact opposite: Putin said the military must use force to stop the protests.
Nationalist Delirium
Moscow is acting as though it were located just behind the front lines. Indeed, the pull of nationalist delirium has become so strong that even Putin's own opponents seem no longer capable of resisting it.
Only two years ago, Sergei Udaltsov, along with blogger and opposition politician Alexei Navalny, was one of the most eloquent speakers at anti-Putin protests in Moscow. He has been under house arrest since 2013 on charges he sought to incite mass riots. Despite his situation, even Udaltsov has declared his support for Russia's actions and its annexation of Crimea. "I am a supporter of direct democracy, and I welcome the Crimea referendum as an expression of popular government," he recently stated.
Read More Here
Byvshev, a German teacher in the district of Orlov, recently opened up his local newspaper, Sarya, or "the dawn," only to find his name featured in a prominent slot. "In these troubled times, when enemies outside the country are showing their teeth and preparing to take the leap of death, you can find people who would like to undermine Russia from within," the newspaper wrote. "People like A. Byvshev."
How did Byvshev wind up in the newspaper? All it took was a short poem he wrote and posted on VK, Russia's popular social network answer to Facebook. He had directed the poem at "patriot cheerleaders" who uncritically follow Moscow's propaganda. "From a very early age, I have been accustomed to not telling lies," Byvshev says. "If Russia stole Crimea from Ukraine, then one has to speak openly about the fact that it was theft."
'No Place for Patriots Like This in Russia'
It's an openness that hasn't done him much good recently. "There's No Place for Patriots Like This in Russia," blared the headline of the article about Byvshev. Acquaintances stopped greeting him, local businesses began ignoring his presence and now the local regional prosecutor is threatening to press charges against him for "incitement to hatred." He faces two years behind bars if convicted.
It is an incident reminiscent of the 1930s, an era when the line between Communist and public enemy was a fine one. At the time, Stalin had hundreds of thousands of so-called enemies of the people shot and killed.
Today, Moscow's territorial claims in Ukraine have unleashed a sense of nationalism so aggressive that it has silenced virtually all critical voices. Indeed, it is a singular official view that appears to have prevailed in Russia -- namely that a clique in Kiev, with American support, is seeking to destroy Ukraine despite heroic efforts by millions in the eastern part of the country. And that these people need Russia's support.
The ability to differentiate appears to have evaporated and the state propaganda machine has become as effective as it is comprehensive. The media seem to be following it in lockstep, as evidenced last week. "Ukraine Is Waging War against Its Own People" read the front page of one issue of Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the official Russian government newspaper, in response to the decision by the interim government early last week to send troops to the eastern part of the country. The "Kiev junta" wants to "bombard the Donbas," commented Russia's largest-circulation daily, Komsomolskaya Pravda, adding: "Our people are mourning the dead and injured." "Sloviansk is covered in blood," claimed the tabloid Tyov Den ("Your Day"). None of these reports is true.
Have Russians Become Gullible?
The problem is that people in Russia these days seem to believe almost every false report that comes out of Moscow, and few are questioning their accuracy. New channel Russia 24 unceasingly shows Ukrainians in the eastern part of the country holding machine guns and grenade launchers. But nobody in Russia bothers to ask where they are getting their arms from.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, the man ostensibly rushing to the aid of Russians in Ukraine, is the hero of the day. Finally, Russians seem to believe, he is paying the West back for years of humiliation. And yet the justifications Putin has provided could hardly be more cynical.
Last Wednesday, Putin declared the escalation of the crisis in eastern Ukraine to be the product of the "irresponsible and unconstitutional policies of the regime in Kiev," which, he claimed had used the army to suppress the protests of peaceful citizens in the region. Yet to that point, there had been little activity by the army. During the Maidan square revolt, he called for the exact opposite: Putin said the military must use force to stop the protests.
Nationalist Delirium
Moscow is acting as though it were located just behind the front lines. Indeed, the pull of nationalist delirium has become so strong that even Putin's own opponents seem no longer capable of resisting it.
Only two years ago, Sergei Udaltsov, along with blogger and opposition politician Alexei Navalny, was one of the most eloquent speakers at anti-Putin protests in Moscow. He has been under house arrest since 2013 on charges he sought to incite mass riots. Despite his situation, even Udaltsov has declared his support for Russia's actions and its annexation of Crimea. "I am a supporter of direct democracy, and I welcome the Crimea referendum as an expression of popular government," he recently stated.
Read More Here
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