Thread by @SofiOksanen

About "referendums" in #Ukraine. Many have asked, why #Russia even makes the effort to stage "#referendums", which look so fake to any Western country. But let's go back a bit and look at the #Baltic states under Soviet occupation.(1/x) 🧵

- In Baltic states we know this "referendum"-play very well: the USSR occupied Baltic states through performances that bears similarities to these "referendums". (2/x)

- As a result in my textbooks in #Finland there was no word about occupation, but I was told how Balts "joined" happily to the family of Soviet republics. This is what Finnish curriculum taught at school a decade after decade.(3/x)

>>It affected the way Finnish public debate formed over the years. #finlandisation
- For Russia it's crucial to have photos and videos about the "referendums". This visual material will be used in Russian media and education now and in the future. (4/x)

>>As long as the constitution of Russia is not changed (patriotism!) and there is no free speech, this fake narrative stays the dominant one.
- In Baltic states under the Soviet occupation the school curriculum followed the Soviet narrative. (5/x)

>>The Soviet media/education in occupied territories used the picture material from staged elections a decade after decade. #brainwashing #homosovieticus
- Now the same kind of material from Ukraine is used to create the new generation of #homoputinicus (6/x)

- Even though Russian propaganda is not successful in Western countries, for now, please remember that two thirds of the world is much more welcoming to the Russian disinformation. (7/x)

>>The "evidence" about "referendums" offers excellent material to spread the Kremlin narrative. In Russia-friendly countries the Kremlin narration will dominate, again a decade after decade. (8/x)

- The staged propaganda material from the USSR was successful in the West and it did affect, how former Soviet countries were seen in the West even after the collapse of the USSR. (9/x)

-The fake elections and referendums created the narrative supporting the idea of "happy joining" to the happy Soviet family which was much more appealing to Western leaders than the reality of the occupation and the crimes committed by the USSR. (10/x)

>>The "happy" narrative gave a perfect excuse to trade with the occupier, to shake hands with the occupier, to greet them with kisses. Good optics! (11/x)

- In the West, the "happy" narrative created by the USSR played a role in making the idea of "Russia's "natural spheres of influence" seem more natural, more justified. This is the message that will go through now in two thirds of the world. (12/x)

- When asked why are you fighting here, Russian soldiers have said to Ukrainians: "We want you to be with us." This sentence and idea reflects what they have been taught at school and by their media, a decade after decade, about "countries joining happily to the USSR". (13/x)

>>If you have not heard about the reality of the occupation, the fake story of "happy reunion" will go through, and this is why RU needs the fake material from the fake referendums. (14/x)

- The most obvious reason for "referendums" is to make the occupation legit according to the Russian legal system. When the territory is under Russian law, Ukrainians liberating their territory from the Russian occupation, are considered attacking Russian soil. (15/x)

But this thread was about the long-term consequences of narrative material the "referendums" are offering to RU. (16/x) End of 🧵