Russian propaganda 2015

RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA
in the context of the Russian
information war against Ukraine
Denis Bohush
Center for Russian Studies, Kiev 2015

Description of the situation
.
Russia wages diversionary
war in Ukraine and annexed
the Crimean Peninsula.
To support its aggressive
actions Russia has launched
information war
RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA, Denis Bohush, Kiev, Ukraine, 2015

Military propaganda
Information warfare is conducted with a
focus on psychological component with
elements of hard military propaganda.
Characteristics of military propaganda:
•  Fear
•  Anxiety
•  Psy-technologies
•  Lie
•  Hard settings

War of identities -
deep foundation of aggression
against Ukraine
Russian propaganda
says:
internal conflict and civil
war in Ukraine.
Reality: conflict of identities – Russia against
Ukraine, which continues for centuries.

Media channels
Russia has deployed the most
powerful national and international
channels of communication.
Systematically, thoughtfully,
professionally, using psycho immoral
influence on people's minds.

"Agents of influence" in the Ukrainian
government and security services

http://faktu-week.ictv.ua/ua/index/view-media/id/57251
Psy-technologies – How has Putin rulled
Yanukovych?
"After analyzing the events and documents found in Mezhyhirya (Yanukovych
residents), experts believe that the fourth president was chief agent of the Kremlin
in Ukraine. Secret raid was investigated by Nicholas Terelov. "ICTV TV”

1.  The military operation and
capture territories
Modern hybrid war in Ukraine
2. Information and
psychological operations
The two basic directions:

Opposition from Ukraine
Adequate opposition from the
Ukrainian side is virtually absent.
All actions in the area of information
in this segment are built not on the
principles of information warface, but
on the principles of journalists in
peacetime, the banal disseminating
information.

Objectives of information war
1.  The destabilization of the political situation in Ukraine, reduction of public
confidence in the state institutions and leadership. The psychological pressure on
the leadership of the country and society to disorientate. The production of the split
in Ukrainian society along ethnic and regional lines. Providing existence of groups of
support for russian aggressive actions in Ukraine
2.  Mislead the international community with a view to shifting responsibility for
Ukraine casualties, destruction, etc. and, ultimately, lower levels of international
support. Information support for "whitening" actions of Russian troops involved in the
conflict. Neutralization possible criticism of the leading Western countries
3.  Ensuring maximum public support for Putin's Russia policy in general and for
Ukraine in particular (consolidation of society around Putin)

Communication facilities
•  TV, media,
•  actions, rallies, press conferences
•  leaflets, posters, outdoor advertising
•  rumors, informal communication
•  Internet, social networks

The ideological basis of attacks
Basic Concepts:
•  Oppression of Russian-speaking people in
Ukraine
•  Split of Ukraine to the West and South-East
•  Russian Peace (concept)
•  The hostility of the West to Russia
•  Impact of US, involvement in all color revolutions
in the world
•  Identification of national liberation fight
(Ukraine, the Baltics, cr. tatar etc.) against fascism
•  Roots of fascism of the national liberation
movement in Ukraine
•  All the anti-Soviet and anti-communist = Fascism
•  Russian Orthodox Church - the only true faith
•  Slavs - the three brotherly nations: Russia,
Ukraine, Belarus

Labels of Russian propaganda
Goal: dehumanization of image of Ukrainian
"Benderas’" (Banderas)
"Fascists", "Nazis"
"Kiev`s junta"
Ukry, Ukrops
"Right Sector" (pravoseki)


Topics “Fascism" and "Nazism" as
Psy-technologies
Visual agitation in Crimea Visual agitation in Donbass

Levels and structure of Russian
propaganda
№ levels methods examples
4 Archetypal +
semantic
Sacred, group instincts
collective fear;
anxiety;
haze
national identity / UKR
self-organization
Alcoholism, chauvinism, the Mongol-Tatars
3 Semantic +
Notional
Culture, the concept of
Russia
invasion;
involvement;
new stereotypes;
manipulation of time and history;
installation
Russian World
US and the West Europe are enemies
Russian oppression
2 Rational
Logical, text, movie,
picture
shift in emphasis;
substitution of concepts;
suggestion;
development of reflexes
“Kiev junta”
“overturn”
“Right sector”
delirium
1 instinctive and
emotional level
(animal)
Fear, anxiety, hunger,
cold, pictures, news,
instinct
false;
naturalization;
degradation-simplification;
naive;
provocation;
authority
crucified child
death
destruction
demonstrative executions

Russian informational aggression is
based on the principles of western
democracy
Russia applies in the information war main weapon of
civilized world - freedom of speech.
Journalists long time ago have lost the difference
between the balance and objectivity. Therefore, it is
possible to spread outright lies.
Russia uses the Western media to mislead - as
"alternative point of view".
Massive and massively is used the Internet - as free
space.
The development and utilizacion of Russian cultural
centers abroad (over 90)
Actively is used the Russian Orthodox Church in the
world.

The Guardian published an article about the relationship between inequality and
financial information services UK and Russia. In their view, the World Service BBC-
is losing information war against channel Russia Today. The reason for the
publication of the article was a speech by the former director of the BBC World
Service Peter Horrocks.
“It’s the soft power war that’s replaced the cold war. The Russian and Chinese
channels are clearly proxies for their governments and Britain is being vastly
outspent”, - the Guardian, according to Professor Stuart Purvis
Russian media strongly influence on
public opinion in the world

The number of those who appreciates the actions of Vladimir Putin as president of
Russia reached the highest point at a record of 73% of Russians. The number of
opponents of the line head of state is the smallest - only 14%. According to FOM
Assessment of the actions of
Vladimir Putin

Dynamics of rating of Vladimir Putin
Translating dry figures into a more understandable
language, the results of Sunday's vote hypothetical
would be unprecedented in the world of democratic
practice: Vladimir Putin would have won the
unconditional, a landslide victory with the final result
about 85-90% of the vote. According to sociologists FOM

Approval rating of Putin by russians

The phenomenon of such "Putin’s scissors" explains the unprecedented success of misinformation
war. Became apparent that propaganda (the so-called "information") processing of consciousness
substantial number of citizens of the Russian Federation has reached such a depth and detail of such
scale and sophistication such that the regime was to achieve the creation of most people's perception
of the world system, to a large extent, not only detached from its actual picture, but not having
anything to do with it.
“Putin’s scissors”

Reliance on negative traits of national
peculiarities
(Removing the underlying barriers)
•  Chauvinism
•  Alcoholism
•  Lack of moral

Propaganda of the imperial ideas – is lying on the souls of Russian people.
For the majority of Russian citizens primarily it is the idea of "Alpha
Power."
"Putin majority" took it as a moment of truth. Started up the Project, Intrigue,
Drive. People feel themselves on the geopolitical stadium, where Russia
again (after a 25-year break) came off the bench - and plays. Against the
United States! "
Removing barriers
Hello! I am Russian invader!

Chauvinism
Immigrant, go home!
USA- devil’s servant!

Alcoholism

Lack of moral
CrimeaLugansk
“And even if someone tries from the army to shoot their own people, for
whom we will stand behind. Not in the front, but behind.
Let them try to shoot at women and children. I will look at those who
give such an order in Ukraine”
Vladimir Putin

Education of the young generation -
"Putinyata"

The main Putin’s message in Russia
If Putin is here, Russia will be, too.

CRIMEA
Putin is hero!
Poroshenko and Obama are murderers.

Hybrid warfare
Saboteurs - "polite people"

Russian propaganda in Crimea

Propaganda with the agrumentation
10 reasons to be together with Russia
Why is Crimea called russian?

Propaganda in the Crimea after annexation

Public burning of Ukrainian books

A film about the capture of Crimea -
as a factor in raising of the Putin’s rating

Visual propaganda in Donbass

Technology of the referendums

Parades of prisoners
as part of the psychological impact
on the animal level

Target Audiences
1.  Ukraine (Donetsk&Lugansk Occupied Territories, Crimea)
2.  Ukraine (ATO area)
3.  Ukraine (the rest part of Ukraine)
4.  Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, other regions)
5.  The world (Europe, USA, CIS and other countries)

Principles of opposition
•  Professional purchasers from the government
•  One vote
•  Systematic approach
•  The signal strength and maximum coverage
•  Locking russian signal for CA
•  Asymmetric raid
•  Artificial pressure
•  Work in Russia
•  National propaganda - propaganda of kontrviyskova
•  Cinema of national heroes
•  Cultural Centers abroad

Directions - Occupied Territories
Crimea,
Donbass
-  Increase of Ukrainian communication channels (TV, radio, Internet)
-  The use of informal channels of communication
-  Reducing confidence in the Russian communication channels
-  Work of underground and guerrilla movement
-  Working with immigrants and their descendants in the occupied
territories
-  Conducting informational special operations

Direction – Russia
Sobering factor - Cargo 200

Euromaidan 2013-2014 - experience for Russia

Direction – Russia Sanctions

Decrease of the Putin’s rating in Russia

Disintegrative tendencies in Russia

Direction - World

Direction - World
The foreign policy of Ukraine

Direction - World
Crash of the Boeing777 is the turning point of the world
public opinion about the participation of Russia

Direction - World
Demonstration of arms of the Russian Federation

Direction – Russia, Ukraine

Direction – Ukraine
folk art

Directions - World, Ukraine, Russia
Community initiatives

Directions – Ukraine
National propaganda

Centre for Russian Studies
Website www.r-studies.org
www.r-‐studies.org

Thank you for your
attention!
With the support of

Russian propaganda 2015

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to Russian propaganda 2015

Similar to Russian propaganda 2015 (20)

More from Denis Bohush

More from Denis Bohush (16)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (13)

Russian propaganda 2015