Selling Distortions and Fabrications Instead of a Sunset

Pro-Kremlin information manipulators push distorted versions of reality and attempt to capitalise on momentum with fabrications.

In this week’s Disinfo Review, we take yet another deep dive into the distorted world of the pro-Kremlin information manipulation ecosystem.

We explore not only how Russian propagandists sought to capitalize on the controversy surrounding Yaroslav Hunka, where the Canadian parliament unknowingly applauded a former Waffen SS soldier, but also delve into the Kremlin’s longstanding tactics of distorting and misrepresenting factual reporting.

Ukrainian stamp that never was

In a blatant attempt to capitalise on the momentum following the Yaroslav Hunka controversy, the pro-Kremlin information manipulation ecosystem did not waste any time.

It took Kremlin propagandists four days to come up with a fabrication, where Ukrainian national postal service, Ukrposhta, was falsely claimed to have published a stamp in honour of Yaroslav Hunka, a former Waffen SS soldier.

The fabrication included pictures of the alleged stamp taken in an environment resembling a Ukrposhta office, most probably in an attempt to increase the credibility of their claims. These latest fabrications belong to the ‘Nazi Ukraine’ family of disinformation narrative, wherein Kremlin propagandists try to frame Ukraine and Ukrainians as modern-day Nazis to justify the horrors of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Merry-go-round of Russian falsehoods

Within couple of days, the fabrications made a full round in the Russian information manipulation ecosystem.

The round started on Telegram channels, such as SoloviewLive, moved to the official Russian diplomatic channels on X, and ended up on websites, such as the known disinformation outlet, Mriya.news. Russian Embassy in London cooked up the most viewed post on platform X (formerly known as Twitter). The post managed to garner around 440,000 views prior to its deletion.

Third-parties have checked the veracity of the Russian claims, which were a part of a larger Russian information manipulation campaign related to the controversy. Unsurprisingly, these claims have been thoroughly debunked, time and again.

Leave the important bit out

As we have reported numerous times before, facts will not get in the way of pro-Kremlin propaganda.

Here we have a textbook example of how propaganda often contains a kernel of truth. Disinformers distorted a legitimate opinion piece that appeared on the American outlet The Hill to support a pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative suggesting that Ukraine will be forced to capitulate eventually.

This manipulative tactic involves taking some factual reporting from a credible source, omitting crucial details, and adding a new misleading context – another well-known Kremlin trick that we have reported on before.

Reality bites

This time propagandists attempted to push a message describing Western support for Ukraine’s defence as waning. They also suggest that such support is futile as capitulation looms on the horizon.

Sadly for these disinformers, the notion of waning and futile support for Ukraine hasn’t resonated with European decision-makers, who just pledged more support for Ukraine at the historic EU-Ukraine Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kyiv.

Similarly, the propagandists’ siren calls have fallen on deaf ears among the European populace. According to the latest Eurobarometer polls, public support for Ukraine, including the provision of military aid, remains steadfast.

Also blinking on EUvsDisinfo’s disinformation radar this week:

• The US is meddling in the Slovakian election. Another classic case of Kremlin projection – blame others for your own sins. This multi-pronged attack against the integrity of the Slovakian parliamentary elections cloaked Russian election interference under unfounded allegations about other foreign powers’ election meddling. Moreover, an additional manipulation payload was delivered by invoking a ‘lost sovereignty’ narrative, where political parties deemed threats to the Kremlin’s goals are smeared with false allegations that they are the puppets of foreign powers.
• Western weapons in Ukraine kill mainly civilians and divert funds from Africa. Kremlin propaganda mouthpieces trying to reach French-speaking audiences in Africa and elsewhere have been working in overdrive. This time their false narratives attempted to discredit Western military aid to Ukraine, deceptively insinuated that Ukrainian forces disproportionally target civilian populations, and attempted to divert the audience’s attention away from Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, objective reality begs to differ from the Kremlin’s deceptions.
• Finland is sinking after joining NATO. Despite a lack of success, Russian propagandists continue to attempt to explain away the major geopolitical changes that followed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. As pro-Kremlin disinformationists failed in their efforts to block or delay Finland’s NATO accession, they are now attempting to portray Finnish NATO membership as something detrimental for the Finnish economy and citizens alike. This time, Spanish-speaking audiences were fed a twisted and out-of-context version of a quote from a Finnish Ministry of Defence official, Janne Kuusela, lifted from a legitimate New York Times article covering Finland’s NATO membership.