Without doubt, this was Mr Putin’s greatest public relations victory so far in this conflict. Not only were western audiences presented with Russia’s case for war, they were given it from the mouth of Vladimir Putin himself. In explaining why Russian soldiers were fighting in Ukraine… … More Putin’s Victory Day Parade
This is the nature of the information war being fought by the Ukrainian government — the side that is the righteous victim, the side that does not need to tell lies, the side that has innocence on its side. Yet, the multiplication of the entities of these stories — their details — point to them being fictitious; they push the boundaries of believability. … More Zelenskyy’s Dirty Propaganda War
Within Ukraine, there is clear evidence of a disinformation mill churning out outrageous anti-Russian propaganda that is repeated by western Ukrainian journalists in English on their social media pages for western consumption. Naturally, this is picked up by western media and treated — uncritically — as news from the war. It is interesting to note that Lapatina also contributes in English to The Guardian and The New York Times. … More The Propaganda War
Rape, while a particularly egregious and henious crime, is and has always been a feature of warfare. Women and girls face the threat of sexual assault and rape in peacetime, in every town and city in the world, surrounded by well-funtioning policing and legal institutional structures. All too often in wartime, these civilian structures are among the first things to breakdown; making people vulnerable to all kinds of danger, violence, and violations. … More Partisan Hacks and Russian Rapists
Doubling-down on the massacre narrative, The New York Times released satellite images from the US military contractor Maxar showing a number of bodies lying about the streets of Bucha. Perhaps to the uninformed this proves the corporate media case that Russian soldiers were indiscriminately killing defenceless civilians during the occupation, but to anyone familiar with modern urban warfare this scene proves the opposite. … More The Anatomy of a Russian Massacre
Pictures published on Podoliak’s social media pages and in newspapers across the country confirmed these apocalyptic scenes of savage brutality. People with their hands tied behind their backs executed against walls, bodies laying on the public streets all over the town of Bucha, limbs poking from what look to be mass graves. Charred remains draped over the twisted wreckage of shot-out and burnt-out vehicles and machinery, hands with nail polish, and bloodied faces with multiple gunshot wounds. … More The Bucha Massacre
Over the last ten years or so western governments and media outlets have been waging a full spectrum propaganda war against Russia, with a particular interest in monsterising Vladimir Putin in the popular imagination. And, in all fairness, most of what they have said about him is true — and yes, he does deserve to be seen as a monster. He is a monster. … More Putin is Not the Only Monster
We cannot lose sight of the fact that this is a conflict situation. The developing war in Ukraine is a complex conflict involving not only two belligerent sides, but any number of covert operators. While it may appear obvious that the Russian army is the guilty party, and this may well be the case, this conflict is being watched closely around the world. It does not serve Russia well to be seen violating a ceasefire and shelling civilians in a humanitarian evacuation corridor. … More The ‘Russian Shelling’ Video
Standpoint Zero 