As Russian President Vladimir Putin embarked on his fifth term at a swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, the pro-Kremlin disinformation ecosystem is carefully constructing a narrative, the EU East Stratcom Task Force reported on Thursday morning.
His reelection was enabled by fraudulent elections and manipulation of the constitution, Statcom writes. In addition to power, the big lie the Kremlin manipulators are crafting is about invincibility, divine sanction, and historical destiny.
The task force was set up by the EU in 2015 as part of the European External Action Service (EEAS). Its flagship project is a database of articles on fake news. From the start of the war in Ukraine, it has been publishing weekly news about Russia’s disinformation and information manipulation.
According to Stratcom, Russia’s president circulated tired disinformation tropes in his reelection speech where he attempted to portray Russia as an actor on the world stage oriented towards dialogue and international stability. “This is another good example of Kremlin Newspeak, which conveniently forgets to mention that the Kremlin just wants to solidify any gains that they have made so far as part of their imperial agenda."
Vague promises of dialogue aim to manipulate audiences primed to be receptive to fears of escalation and widening war. Hollow threats and dishonest talk about peace and dialogue aim at taking EU’s focus away from the most important task at hand – supporting Ukraine in its war of defence to regain full control of its territory.
As previously reported, the swearing-in ceremony was boycotted by the EU and the majority of its member states besides France, Hungary and Slovakia. Despite High Represenative Josep Borrell’s advice not to attend the ceremony, 6 – 7 member states were represented at the ceremony at different levels, EU’s lead spokesperson admitted at the Commission’s daily press conference yesterday.
The member states had their own reasons to participate in the ceremony which he described as an issue of protocol which did not contradict EU’s common position on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. He was not at liberty to the disclose the names of the member states attending the ceremony.
“Today, 9 May, marks another annual display of Russian militarism laid bare in Red Square,” Stratcom added.
Originally commemorating Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in WWII, the parades have shifted to serve as platforms for justifying Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Since Stalin’s rule, Russia has tried to hide the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact it signed with Nazi Germany which divided Eastern Europe and triggered the world war.
M. Apelblat
The Brussels Times
