One of the most popular questions I have always been asked: Does Putin really believe conspiracy theories that his media push forward? I have written a guest essay for the @nytimes out today, but will also unpack a few ideas in the 🧵 here nytimes.com/2022/04/25/opi… My book was about the way conspiracy theories are used by the Kremlin post-1991. Throughout the 2000s-2010s it was clear – conspiracy theories is an instrument of power, but used tactically, when the regime faces difficulties amazon.co.uk/Fortress-Russi…

Putin’s Russia, among other things, is held together by tamed and loyal journalists who are aware of its faults but keep working for money, fame and love of the regime. Marina Ovsyannikova’s protest during a live news broadcast is a sign that this structure might collapse🧵 As a @sheffielduni academic I have been studying Russian journalists for a decade. In this thread, @elisabethschimp and myself explain what could happen from here