Russia: Latest news, analysis, video interviews, video reports

Russia is the main power and, for many years, the main source of insecurity in the region monitored by Veridica journalists. News about Russia provides information about developments in real time and prominent leaders of Russia – from major decisions taken by president Vladimir Putin, to statements and actions of the main representatives of his regime, from Alexei Navalny’s case to the Wagner Group rebellion. Veridica is also monitoring Russia’s foreign policy, its relations with the collective West and with individual countries, as well as with client, allied or partner states across various fields of cooperation, such as China, Belarus, Iran or Turkey. Russia’s external operations, including the campaigns carried out by proxy organizations such as the Wagner Group, which is involved in theatres of operations Syria and several African countries, as well as the Kremlin’s energy policies, are equally followed by Veridica journalists. News about Russia also weighs in on narratives promoted by Russia, addressing both the public at home as well as external audiences, presented as part of fake news, disinformation or propaganda articles. Veridica’s newsroom staff, regional collaborators and Romanian experts are monitoring the impact of Russian policies and disinformation campaigns both in the region and beyond, in the main Western capitals. News about Russia provides a wide array of press articles, news, editorials, analyses, interviews and inquiries.

Kiev, Odessa, Lvov versus Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv. Ukraine’s other war
Kiev, Odessa, Lvov versus Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv. Ukraine’s other war

The war in Ukraine has brought to the attention of journalists and communicators an issue that had been a concern for Kiev for several years: the spelling of proper names. People and localities alike are better known by their Russian names. Ukraine insists that the spelling should be in Ukrainian.

Marin Gherman
28 Mar 2022
WAR PROPAGANDA: A Russian official has called for the “denazification” of the Baltic States, Poland, the Republic of Moldova and Kazakhstan
WAR PROPAGANDA: A Russian official has called for the “denazification” of the Baltic States, Poland, the Republic of Moldova and Kazakhstan

A local official from Moscow has called for the denazification of Poland, the Baltic States, the Republic of Moldova and Kazakhstan, by applying the same method used in the case of Ukraine, namely a Russian military intervention. The Russian state media, agencies such as TASS or RIA Novosti, have ignored the initiative.

Veridica News
28 Mar 2022
The weirdest narratives of Russian propaganda during the war in Ukraine
The weirdest narratives of Russian propaganda during the war in Ukraine

Viruses synthesized to target certain populations and areas transported by birds instead of missiles, an army of Satanists fighting on the side of Ukrainian forces and “delicate” bombings carried out by the Russian army – these are some of the weirdest narratives launched by Russian propaganda after the invasion of Ukraine.

DISINFORMATION: The mines launched by Ukraine could blow up the Black Sea, causing a cataclysm in Europe
DISINFORMATION: The mines launched by Ukraine could blow up the Black Sea, causing a cataclysm in Europe

The mines Ukraine has planted in the Black Sea could set off the hydrogen sulfide deposits in the sea and thus cause a cataclysm in Europe. The false narrative was promoted in Romania by Sorin Roșca Stănescu on Cozmin Gușă’s radio show. Both have previously fostered disinformation and fake news and have aligned themselves to Russia’s positions.

WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukrainian forces have destroyed Mariupol
WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukrainian forces have destroyed Mariupol

Mariupol has been destroyed by Ukrainian (nationalist) forces in the city, desperate for not getting any reinforcements from Kyiv, the Russian government media writes. The narrative is meant to draw attention away from the fact that the Russian army shelled the city systematically, without caring about killing civilians or causing damage.

Marin Gherman
24 Mar 2022
The war in Ukraine is shaping Turkey’s policy-making, although a break with Russia is out of the question
The war in Ukraine is shaping Turkey’s policy-making, although a break with Russia is out of the question

Against the backdrop of a worsening economic crisis, Turkey is trying to reconnect with its former allies, after years of pushing them away with its aggresive rhetoric and policies. However, Ankara must also take into account its relationship with Russia, given that it is dependent on that country for energy, agricultural products, tourism and trade.

WAR PROPAGANDA: To drag NATO into the war, Ukraine will attack the United States Embassy in Lviv and will blame Russia for it
WAR PROPAGANDA: To drag NATO into the war, Ukraine will attack the United States Embassy in Lviv and will blame Russia for it

Ukraine will attack the US Embassy in Lviv and will blame Russia with a view to forcing NATO to enter the war, according to a recent propaganda narrative fostered by the Russian state media, which quotes a statement of the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman.

Marin Gherman
23 Mar 2022
How pro-war Russian propaganda is taught in schools. Reports by Russian independent media
How pro-war Russian propaganda is taught in schools. Reports by Russian independent media

In the articles selected this week by Veridica, journalists are calling on their peers who sided with the Putin regime to tell the truth. They describe how war is being presented in schools across Russia and argue that information justifying the Russian aggression in Ukraine was introduced in school curricula a few years back.

Historian: I see lots of resemblances between the Soviet-Afghan war and the one waged by Russia in Ukraine
Historian: I see lots of resemblances between the Soviet-Afghan war and the one waged by Russia in Ukraine

Through its tactics in Ukraine, the Russian military is reminiscent of the Soviet army in Afghanistan rather than a modernized force. Veridica spoke with Chisinau military historian and researcher Ion Xenofontov to see the similarities and differences between the two wars fought by the former USSR and its legal successor, Russia.

WAR PROPAGANDA:  Ukraine wants to procrastinate the war and uses its citizens as human shields, whereas Russia is protecting civilians
WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukraine wants to procrastinate the war and uses its citizens as human shields, whereas Russia is protecting civilians

The Russian media writes Kyiv alone is to blame for the prolonged conflict in Ukraine. The narrative is used alongside older propaganda messages, according to which Moscow is carrying out a special military operation aimed at protecting civilians, whom Kyiv is using as human shields.

Marin Gherman
22 Mar 2022
DISINFORMATION: Russians in the Diaspora face discrimination
DISINFORMATION: Russians in the Diaspora face discrimination

Russian Embassies in a number of countries have called on Russian ethnics to report every case of discrimination. By means of such messages, launched after the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow claims the Russian-speaking population is discriminated against, in order to intimidate countries such as the Republic of Moldova, but also to discourage Russian citizens who plan on leaving Russia.

Veridica
21 Mar 2022
WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia has discovered nationalist concentration camps in eastern Ukraine
WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia has discovered nationalist concentration camps in eastern Ukraine

A concentration camp was discovered in the region of Luhansk, where Russian speaking people were tortured, according to a false narrative disseminated by the Russian state media. It presents Russia as a state that, through its “special military operation” in Donbass, freed the local population and chased away “the Nazis” and “the nationalists”.

Marin Gherman
20 Mar 2022
Narratives of Russian propaganda: from fighting Nazis who use people for human shields, to the war designed to stop the gay parades in Donbas
Narratives of Russian propaganda: from fighting Nazis who use people for human shields, to the war designed to stop the gay parades in Donbas

Among those, the obsession for imaginary “Nazis”, labeling anyone opposing Kremlin policy “traitors”, and criticism against the so-called LGBTQ “ideology”

WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukraine was preparing to attack Donbass and was hiding its intentions by deploying soldiers in schools and hospitals
WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukraine was preparing to attack Donbass and was hiding its intentions by deploying soldiers in schools and hospitals

Russian propaganda continues to seek to justify the invasion of Ukraine and the bombing of civilian targets, including schools and hospitals. According to a recent narrative, a Ukrainian attack on Donbass was imminent, and Kiev was hiding its intentions by deploying troops to schools and hospitals.

Marin Gherman
18 Mar 2022
WAR PROPAGANDA: 15 million Ukrainians have close ties with Russia, and the Ukrainian nationalists are using the Russian speakers as human shields
WAR PROPAGANDA: 15 million Ukrainians have close ties with Russia, and the Ukrainian nationalists are using the Russian speakers as human shields

An important part of Ukraine's population has close ties with Russia and wants good relations with it, according to the Russian propaganda, which also claims that Russian-speakers are being used by Ukrainian nationalists as human shields.

Marin Gherman
17 Mar 2022
Ukraine responds to Russian propaganda with its own narratives and is dominating the information war
Ukraine responds to Russian propaganda with its own narratives and is dominating the information war

Ukraine is responding to the Russian propaganda by launching its own narratives, aimed at encouraging the population and demoralizing the enemy. So far, Kyiv and Ukrainians – since journalists and regular citizens are also pulling their weight – seem to be winning the information war.

Marin Gherman
16 Mar 2022
FAKE NEWS: Ukrainian forces have downed a Romanian fighter jet and a helicopter in Dobruja
FAKE NEWS: Ukrainian forces have downed a Romanian fighter jet and a helicopter in Dobruja

The Ukrainian army has shot down a fighter jet and a helicopter of the Romanian Armed Forces in Dobruja, after mistaking them for aircraft of the Russian army. This fake piece of news is promoted by publications and public figures (of whom some are associated with the far right) that over the years have been spreading disinformation, fake news and narratives promoted by Russia.

Between anti-Ukrainian propaganda and showbiz: how Russia and its local allies try to maintain their media domination in the Republic of Moldova
Between anti-Ukrainian propaganda and showbiz: how Russia and its local allies try to maintain their media domination in the Republic of Moldova

The Republic of Moldova has always been one of the easiest targets for the Russian propangada, which keeps working even if, against the background of the war in Ukraine, the Chisinau government has taken measures to contain and combat it. The narratives promoted in Moldova by Russia or pro-Russia entities and politicians are mainly about the war and seek to either present the Russian version of the war, or to discredit Ukraine and its citizens.

WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukraine was about to attack Belarus, and Russia foiled its plans
WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukraine was about to attack Belarus, and Russia foiled its plans

Ukraine was preparing to attack Russian and Belarussian troops on the day Russia launched the “special military operation” in Ukraine, Belarus’s president, Alexander Lukashenko says. This false narrative was also picked up by the media in Russia and Belarus.

Marin Gherman
15 Mar 2022
PRO-RUSSIA PROPAGANDA: Romania needs to proclaim its neutrality
PRO-RUSSIA PROPAGANDA: Romania needs to proclaim its neutrality

Romania needs to proclaim its neutrality with respect to the conflict in Ukraine, the controversial former minister of foreign affairs and convicted criminal, Adrian Severin, has said. In a letter addressed to Romanian authorities, Severin, who in recent years has been promoting sovereigntist and anti-Western theses similar to those appearing in narratives spread by Russia, is also reiterating some of Russia’s war propaganda themes.

FAKE NEWS: Ukrainian refugees cause disturbance in the Republic of Moldova, and Kiev wants to draw Chisinau into the war
FAKE NEWS: Ukrainian refugees cause disturbance in the Republic of Moldova, and Kiev wants to draw Chisinau into the war

Ukrainian refugees are disrespectful towards Moldovans, try to impose their political views and break the law, according to the Russian press, which also writes that the Kyiv authorities intend to draw the Republic of Moldova in the war against Russia.

Veridica
14 Mar 2022
WAR PROPAGANDA: The Americans’ secret laboratories in Ukraine were synthetizing coronavirus
WAR PROPAGANDA: The Americans’ secret laboratories in Ukraine were synthetizing coronavirus

Ukraine’s biological laboratories were conducting experiments on bats to produce coronavirus, the Russian media writes. This is part of the metanarrative about biological laboratories, where Ukraine was producing weapons of mass destruction, with support from the United States.

Marin Gherman
13 Mar 2022
War in Ukraine: How Putin, in his quest for empire, succeeded in uniting the West. Why the Kremlin cannot impose the New European Order it sought
War in Ukraine: How Putin, in his quest for empire, succeeded in uniting the West. Why the Kremlin cannot impose the New European Order it sought

Putin wants to change the European Order, and he probably will, just not the way he imagined. The war in Ukraine, which has prompted a reaction in block in the West, throwing sanctions at Russia from all sides, might just be the last for Putin. But perhaps the most important development is the restructuring of NATO forces on the eastern flank.

WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is willing to recognize Donbas and Crimea as territories of the Russian Federation
WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is willing to recognize Donbas and Crimea as territories of the Russian Federation

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is ready to talk terms with Russia about Donbas and Crimea with a view to ending the conflict, according to the Russian media, which continues to spread fake news about the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Marin Gherman
10 Mar 2022
WAR PROPAGANDA:  Kyiv was preparing an aggression against Donbas in March, and Russia was forced to intervene to stop it
WAR PROPAGANDA: Kyiv was preparing an aggression against Donbas in March, and Russia was forced to intervene to stop it

The Russian government media published a series of documents designed to prove Ukraine was planning an invasion of Donbas in March. The narrative was launched with a view to justifying Russia’s military operations against Ukraine.

Marin Gherman
09 Mar 2022
“How are we supposed to go on living?” The last articles published by independent media in Russia before the authorities introduced across-the-board censorship
“How are we supposed to go on living?” The last articles published by independent media in Russia before the authorities introduced across-the-board censorship

With the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the Kremlin has tightened its grip on information reaching the Russian public. The little independent press that still existed and was trying to provide information about what was really going on in Ukraine was practically silenced. Veridica flipped through independent media articles published just before total censorship was installed in Russia.

WAR IN UKRAINE: Anti-Ukrainian narratives in Romania. Among the sources, anti-vaxxers and people previously promoted by the Kremlin’s mouthpiece, Sputnik
WAR IN UKRAINE: Anti-Ukrainian narratives in Romania. Among the sources, anti-vaxxers and people previously promoted by the Kremlin’s mouthpiece, Sputnik

People previously promoted by Sputnik, who in the past were accused of defending the interests of Russia and/or were associated with the anti-vaxx movement, launched a number of anti-Ukrainian disinformation narratives after war broke out. Cozmin Gușă, Diana Șoșoacă and Iosefina Pascal are among those who promote these disinformation themes, ranging from false justifications for the invasion (the existence of laboratories manufacturing biological weapons), to complete denial of an actual war.

Veridica
08 Mar 2022
WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia has destroyed the American bioweapon labs in Ukraine
WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia has destroyed the American bioweapon labs in Ukraine

Russian soldiers have identified and destroyed 13 labs in Ukraine where biological weapons were being produced. According to these narratives, Russia must bomb the Ukrainian cities ‘in order to save humanity.”

Marin Gherman
08 Mar 2022
FAKE NEWS: The West has declared war on the Russian Federation, and Moldova risks having Ukraine's fate
FAKE NEWS: The West has declared war on the Russian Federation, and Moldova risks having Ukraine's fate

By supporting Ukraine, the West has actually declared war on the Russian Federation, and the Chisinau government has sided with the West, which might have serious consequences, Mejdurecie.md reads. The article is trying to justify a potential replication in the Republic of Moldova of the situation in Ukraine, if the first maintains its current stand towards Russia and the West respectively.

Veridica
07 Mar 2022
WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia attacked Chernobyl, Zaporizhzhya and Kharkiv in order to prevent Ukraine from manufacturing nuclear weapons.
WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia attacked Chernobyl, Zaporizhzhya and Kharkiv in order to prevent Ukraine from manufacturing nuclear weapons.

Russia reportedly attacked certain sites in Ukraine in order to prevent Ukraine from producing military weapons. This is how the Russian media describes the attacks on Kharkiv, the capturing of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and the occupation of the disaffected nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, where the world’s biggest nuclear disaster occurred in 1986.

Marin Gherman
07 Mar 2022
WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukrainian nationalists have shot peaceful citizens of Volnovakha
WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukrainian nationalists have shot peaceful citizens of Volnovakha

Russian media and media in the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk are disseminating fake news about war crimes committed by Ukrainian soldiers, nationalists in particular, against civilians in eastern and southern Ukraine. In reality, Russia is the one bombarding Ukraine’s cities and destroying lots of civilian targets, including blocks of flats and schools.

Marin Gherman
05 Mar 2022
The odd ones out: support in Serbian media for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The odd ones out: support in Serbian media for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has mostly been condemned in Europe and beyond. However, there are a handful of exception, and Moscow’s main ally in the Balkans, Serbia, is one of them. Officially Belgrade spoke in favor of Ukraine’s integrity, but sanctions or even a harsh condemnation of Moscow are out of the question. Moreover, the media – which is mostly under some sort of government control or influence – is unabashedly showing its support for Putin.

Vuk Velebit
04 Mar 2022