Russia has received media attention. The protests caught the eye of the world. In order to prevent the current crisis from spilling out of the country, the Kremlin has launched a propaganda campaign aimed at misinforming and diverting the attention from the protests.
According to euvsdisinfo.eu analysis there are several narratives at play:
The protesters in Moscow are not from Moscow
Small number of protesters
Foreign conspiracy as a dangerous influence that incites protests
The protesters in Moscow are not from Moscow
One of the key narratives is that protesters are not from Moscow. Strategically, in this way the Kremlin wants to impose a stance that someone wants to steal the elections in Moscow. Paid provocateurs, people who are not local voters, are the lines that are being used as a scenario eluded in the official statements.
The attempts to discredit the protesters have been disputed. This has led to withdrawingS some of the materials that were released as part of this strategy.
Small number of protesters
Questioning the figure is a key tool used in the Kremlin’s strategy. The goal is to minimize the effect, in terms of showing insufficient interest in the protests. The official figures range from around 3,500 to 10,000 protesters reported by the independent media.
Foreign conspiracy as a dangerous influence that incites protests
The Kremlin-affiliated national television network aired a 25-minute documentary program accusing the protesters of being part of a foreign plot. Paid foreign conspiracy aimed at undermining the Russian society. This is the message sent to the public about the protest and the protesters.
“It smells like Soros” is the narrative through which the Western social media are presented as a piece of the global evil.
The Kremlin propaganda in Russia and abroad
The world has already recognized the Kremlin script as one of the most sophisticated and advanced methods of propaganda and disinformation. At first they were ready to manipulate the Russian public.
Regardless whether the propaganda is intended to be used inside or outside the country, the purpose remains the same. Dividing and polarizing the society are the main targets.
This methodology is applicable to crises in Russia, but also to influence when elections are held in Europe or the United States. The audience is different, but the focus on the goals remains unchanged. It is already easy to see the methodology that the Kremlin uses as part of its strategic propaganda whenever it targets. The focus is always on manipulating the general public.
Source: euvsdisinfo.eu
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This project was funded in part through a U.S. Embassy grant. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed herein are those of the implementers/authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Government.
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