When Trump started talking about peace in Ukraine, an ideological storm began in the Kremlin media and Telegram channels.Propagandists tried to fit Trump's statements to a scenario convenient for the Kremlin: "Trump will force the West to surrender Ukraine."However, dissatisfaction was growing among the "war correspondents" (in Russia this term basically means experts that have never been to battlefield), who ran a number of popular Telegram channels about the war. They were afraid that their dream, under which they adjusted their fictional reality, where Russia defeats everyone by force, would dissolve in negotiations and diplomatic concessions.Читати українською

After Donald Trump redefined US policy toward Russia, Moscow has found a new main enemy: the United Kingdom and Europe. This shift in the focus of hostility is significant. For decades, Russian propaganda has been building an image of America as the main enemy and blaming for all the troubles and wars in the world.Washington is restoring diplomatic relations with Moscow, but at the same time spoiling them with NATO allies and Ukraine. All of this looks like a successful outcome of the Kremlin's years-long efforts to divide Europe and the United States since World War II.This monitoring shows that Russian propaganda's attitude toward the United States will change in 2025.Читати українською

In recent weeks, Russian media have been actively covering the shelling of Ukrainian territory while avoiding detailed discussions of Ukraine's aerial counterstrikes on Russian soil. This approach aims to shape a specific information agenda within Russia.Propaganda has taken on new emphases: abandoning humanity when covering attacks on Ukraine, harsher rhetoric, and a focus on revenge.Читати українськоюRead about this and more in the latest edition of our monitoring of Russian state media and manipulative websites that deliberately spread Russian disinformation.

At the end of July, the TikTok Creative Center website (an analytical dashboard with the latest trends on the platform) showed the most popular hashtags in Ukraine and the number of views each has received. These statistics revealed that the network of artificial Russian bots had amassed 10 million views in just one week, indicating significant success. However, six months later, the view statistics vanished from the platform without a trace, suspiciously coinciding with the moment TikTok became aware of our investigation We know for sure that government agencies used the social network to block the bot farm after our article was published.Читати українською

On August 22, Telegram's founder, Pavel Durov, was detained in France. This event provoked a violent reaction from Russian propaganda, which shouted about the collective West's attack on freedom of speech and another manifestation of Russophobia. The Russian media compare Durov to Julian Assange, trying to create an image of a hero who stands up to Western intelligence services. Propaganda uses this case to reinforce anti-Western narratives and intimidate Russians with the possible consequences of cooperation with the West.Also, after Ukraine passed a law restricting religious organizations with ties to Russia, Russian media began spreading narratives about an attack on the canonical church of Ukraine. Using manipulative comparisons with historical repressions, disinformers are spreading the thesis of alleged persecution of believers in Ukraine while ignoring the repression of religious minorities in Russia itself.Читати українськоюRead about this and more in the new issue of our monitoring of Russian state media and manipulative websites that target Russian disinformation.

Last week, Russian media were forced to focus their attention on the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region. The initial stage when propagandists didn't say what happened is over. Now, in particular, they have resorted to the old trick of talking about the future as if it had already come, and predict the future failure of the Ukrainians. They also attribute the temporary success of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the arrival of Western military equipment. They also accuse the "Ukrainian Nazis" of using Russian civilians as human shields and of chasing them with drones during the evacuation.Читати українськоюRead about this and more in the new issue of our monitoring of Russian state media and manipulative websites that target Russian disinformation.

Last week, the Russian media devoted most of its news to Ukraine's offensive in the Kursk region while demonstrating its helplessness. They were afraid to report the facts, so under the guise of news, they offered Russians words of sympathy, reassurance that Putin had everything under control and empty promises of ending the war by the end of the year. They also started spreading scare stories for Ukraine's Western partners about the threat of Ukrainians damaging nuclear power plants in both Kursk and Zaporizhzhia.Читати українськоюRead about this and more in the new issue of our monitoring of Russian state media and manipulative websites that target Russian disinformation.

The international prisoner exchange between Russia and the West on August 1 was an important event for both sides. Russia turned the exchange into a huge show emphasizing its power and influence. The Kremlin's propaganda machine created a picture of President Putin's determination and commitment to his citizens and presented the returned Russians as heroes. At the same time, the West received alleged "enemies of Russia" who were, in fact, journalists, human rights defenders, and political activists.Читати українськоюRead about this and more in the new issue of our monitoring of Russian state media and manipulative websites that target Russian disinformation.

On 26 July, the Summer Olympics started in France. Russia and Belarus were banned from participating because of their aggression against Ukraine. Moscow, demonstratively offended by the organizers, refused to broadcast the Olympics. However, even though propagandists urged their audience to ignore the Olympics, they covered it in detail.The central message of the propaganda is that pseudo-values are being cultivated in Paris. And the main narratives spread by disinformers are the collapse of transport and food, racism, the terrible crime situation, and the dirty water in the Seine, where "feces float." The performance at the opening of the Games was also labeled: "The freedom of the organizers of the event has turned into permissiveness and demonism."Читати українськоюRead about this and more in the new issue of our monitoring of Russian state media and manipulative sites that specifically spread Russian disinformation.

On 21 July, US President Joe Biden announced his decision not to run in the next presidential election. This event became the basis for the spread of conspiracy theories about the Deep State in the United States, which, according to Russian propaganda, allegedly forces Biden to withdraw from the political arena in order to promote its candidate, Kamala Harris. Harris is presented as a puppet of this shadowy structure, and Donald Trump as a fighter against it. All this echoes Trump's own rhetoric.Читати українськоюRead about this and more in the new issue of our monitoring of Russian state media and manipulative sites that specifically spread Russian disinformation.