Russia Media Monitor, headed by Julia Davis, tracks the Kremlin’s mouthpieces to gain insight as to what the Kremlin is thinking and what might come next. Davis explained to Kyiv Post how Moscow’s propagandists are justifying part of their country falling under Ukrainian occupation – and what might come next.
Julia, could you explain what exactly the Russian Media Monitor is?
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Russian Media Monitor documents Russia’s descent into darkness under Putin’s perennial leadership. It explores the use of propaganda as a tool to manipulate the mindset of Russia’s domestic population – and Moscow’s target audience abroad.
In my book, “In Their Own Words,” I show how the Russian people were groomed and conditioned to accept the genocidal premise of the war against Ukraine, for years before the full-fledged invasion of 2022. My book and collection of film footage document the evidence against Putin’s regime that will later be instrumental in their prosecutions for war crimes, genocide and other crimes against humanity.
How have the Kremlin’s mouthpieces responded to Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk and Belgorod Regions of Russia? What did you notice?
Ukraine made a bold and brilliant move by counter-invading Russia. It caught the Russian leadership and the Kremlin’s propagandists – who are admittedly an arm of the Russian government – completely off guard.
Ukrainian Naivety is Both Good and Bad
My videos for the Russian Media Monitor documented the evolution of their reaction, from the initial shock and loud promises of the immediate expulsion of the Ukrainian troops from the Russian territory, to proposals to carpet bomb the Kursk region, now moving into a stage of acceptance, claiming that even the bombing of the bridges is not that big of a deal and preparing the population to the idea that Ukraine’s occupation of the Russian regions might last for many months.
Some Americans aren’t interested in Russia, but they have to realize that Russia is very interested in them.
Do Russians believe that they are at war with NATO?
Russian propagandists often acknowledge that Russia couldn’t defeat NATO in conventional war. At the same time, they regularly proclaim that Russia is already at war with NATO, because it is arming Ukraine and allegedly directing all of its military activities. Average citizens are expected not to question this dichotomy.
These contradictory assertions are meant to accomplish two things. The first aim is to override the humiliation of Russia’s inability to crush Ukraine (especially after their pre-war proclamations that Kyiv would fall in 11 minutes and Ukraine in 3 days), with current predictions that it might take 30 to 40 years to completely subjugate Ukrainians.
The second aim is to prepare the population for the increasingly brutal means and methods that are already being used in this war and might be used in the future.
Who watches these Russian propaganda programs in Russia? Do Russians take them seriously?
The viewership of the propagandists is reportedly declining, which they themselves complain about. It’s impossible to precisely gauge the beliefs of a tightly controlled population of an authoritarian nation, but based on a number of factors, it’s likely that only 30 to 40 percent truly believe what the state media is telling them.
Russian propagandists acknowledge that their audience is mainly comprised of middle-aged people and Soviet-minded pensioners. Even these numbers are likely slipping, especially in light of Ukraine’s surprise counter-invasion and the fact that none of the promises by Putin and his pet propagandists have come true.
Russian propagandists often say wildly outlandish things – like that it is time to nuke Washington, DC and capitals in Europe. Do you think that they are really proposing to start a nuclear war? Or is this just a show?
As one of the most persistent enthusiasts of the use of nuclear weapons, Vladimir Solovyov unwittingly explained the real meaning behind what his nuke rattling is meant to accomplish when he quoted Machiavelli and said that fear is the best way to influence people. It’s meant to scare the West into not supporting Ukraine and provide a comfort factor for the Russians, as an assurance that they can never be defeated, solely because they are a nuclear nation and the worst case scenario would end with them going to heaven and the West being dispatched to hell.
What about former President Dmitry Medvedev? Why is he always saying such bizarrely aggressive things that Russia should do against Ukraine or the West?
Medvedev was known as a comical character, who was eagerly trying to emulate the Western lifestyle. He is desperately trying to bury his former image in a flurry of nuclear threats. Medvedev isn’t being taken seriously, despite his official position –nor should he be. Even Russian propagandists periodically acknowledge that Medvedev’s schtick is embarrassing. In an attempt to escape his previous persona, which was quite laughable, he morphed into a character that is darkly grotesque.
Do you see any other signs that the public, in Russia, is losing their faith in the propagandists?
Russian propagandists acknowledge that much of the public is either tuning them out – which explains their faltering metrics – or questioning their outlandish assertions.
What motivates the propagandists? It is surprising, to me, how many of them studied or lived in the West and have advanced education. What makes them tick?
The Kremlin’s top propagandists are opportunists, first and foremost. Western escape routes and golden parachutes they’d created for themselves are now just a distant memory. All they can do is double down on the Kremlin’s propaganda line and thrive financially.
The likes of Margarita Simonyan – one of the most fervent instigators of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – also seem to have the need to take part in Moscow’s imperial adventures and to cement their role in this bloody part of Russia’s modern history. Instead, they should be memorialized for their propaganda of war crimes and genocide during their future trials.
Are Russian propagandists, now that part of Russia is being occupied by Ukraine, giving any indications that they will do some sort of false-flag attack to throw Ukraine’s invasion off balance?
Russian propagandists and government officials are obsessively claiming that Ukraine intends to blow up on the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, having previously claimed that Ukraine is targeting various nuclear plants in Ukraine and Russia. They’re constantly claiming that Ukraine is committing atrocities against civilians, even attempting to pin the blame for Russia’s massacres in Bucha and beyond upon Ukrainians themselves. In the future, as more of Russia’s war crimes are uncovered, it will continue to blame Ukraine.
As far as false flag operations are concerned, that is an inextricable part of Putin’s legacy and is always within the realm of possibility.
So, why should Americans even care what Russian propagandists so far away are saying?
Some Americans aren’t interested in Russia, but they have to realize that Russia is very interested in them. Viewers of my channel, Russian Media Monitor, often remarked how obsessed the Russians are with America and the West in general. Putin’s government is determined to displace the United States as a global force for good, because America stands in the way of his intended imperial conquests – and because he wants Russia to take America’s place as the most powerful nation on earth.
Ignoring the enemy while he’s constantly plotting your demise is not a rational choice.
Russia Media Monitor can be found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@russianmediamonitor
Julia Davis can be followed on Twitter: @JuliaDavisNews
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