1) there was never a "civil war" or "ethnic conflict" in Ukraine 2) there was never any kind of "Russian language ban" 3) The founders of the "separatist republics" were Russian nationalists from Moscow not coal miners from Donbas
If you host a panel discussion, correct your guests, if they use these false narratives, made up by the Kremlin.
Ukraine has never waged war against its own people.
Russian speaking Ukrainians ≠ "Separatists", they also love their country🇺🇦.
Putin's war against Ukraine is not about NATO, it is because he does not allow his neighbors to have a free, democratic and European🇪🇺 future and he wants to restore the "Russian Empire".
Ukraine was non-aligned in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and attacked in Donbas. This is why the idea of joining NATO became popular.
It is not a big country, attacking a similar, smaller country, it is a dictatorship attacking a free, democratic and European country.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
How to identify a Russian propaganda agent of influence – someone who consciously or unconsciously promotes narratives beneficial to the Kremlin?
What roles do they play in society? What are their key messages? And most importantly, what do they always leave out? Guideline:🧵
Who is a Valuable Agent of Influence?
A valuable agent of influence is someone with credibility and reach—an expert, a journalist, or especially someone who is a professor. People tend to trust academics, and they are often hesitant to criticize them.
How do they frame their "analysis"?
They may briefly condemn the Russian invasion—if at all—before quickly pivoting to "but" and pushing propaganda.
The bulk of their argument focuses on blaming "the West," "NATO expansion," "Biden," Ukraine and asking for "peace at all costs"
Because powerful voices are pushing Ukraine to basically surrender to the Russian imperialist invasion, I want to highlight key facts that must be considered. Anyone is free to verify them.
I start with this: No! Putin does not want peace, he started the war, twice! (Thread)🧵
1.1 The Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and the (semi-)covert invasion of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
1.2
This invasion was carried out by "little green men," "Russian soldiers on vacation," radical groups like Wagner, Sparta, and the Russian Orthodox Army, as well as Russian intelligence officers such as Girkin and Borodai.@Montrey82631182
5 steps to protect our information sphere from dictators seeking to divide and conquer us🧵
1) Expose agents of influence – publish a list of Kremlin-
paid actors 2) Debunk their narratives 3) Clearly explain the situation 4) Raise public awareness 5) Educate society
Authorities must expose agents funded by authoritarian regimes like Russia, China, and Iran who spread propaganda and lobby for them. The list of Russian-funded influencers and "useful idiots" should finally be made public.
Politicians, experts, civil society, and academics—everyone who cares about protecting democracies—should make every effort to debunk the narratives of propagandists who clearly work in favor of authoritarian regimes through constant fact-checking.
1) Russia is successfully uniting the anti-Western propaganda bloc
2) Many naive & non-resilient Westerners are embracing the 🇷🇺narrative of a "multipolar" world
3) Disinformation & influence campaigns are not limited to social media
4) We are ignoring "traditional" propaganda channels (books, events, and agents of influence).
5) Russia and its allies have deeply infiltrated and contaminated our societies with agents of influence, useful idiots, spies—or people who serve both roles...
6)Anti-Western narratives are widespread in the West, in the far left, the far right & even the center
7)We take democracy for granted and remain unaware of the authoritarian threat
8)The issue isn't just dictators but also their enablers, partners, and apologists in the West
Who creates Russian propaganda, and what forms does it take? Covert, overt, subtle, and "cultural", Russian propaganda has many faces and influences all spheres of our information space 🧵
Category: Covert
The recent leaks once again revealed how Russian "agencies" work for the Kremlin to create and spread toxic propaganda and disinformation online, even identifying and sometimes supporting useful Western idiots to amplify their channels.
Category: Subtle
Agents of influence, often professors, impact not only the education system but also mass media, bookstores, and mainstream discourse.
They say things like, "I condemn Putin, but NATO, the US..." "Realpolitik", "we need diplomacy, not weapons"