WAR PROPAGANDA: Putin did not attend the G20 summit because the West was preparing a terrorist attack against him

The Western secret services were preparing an attempt on the life of the Russian president during the meeting of the G20 leaders, that is why Vladimir Putin refused to participate in the summit, writes the pro-Kremlin press, also stating that the West regularly resorts to terrorism. In reality, there was no threat of an attack, Putin refusing to come to Indonesia amid the withdrawal of the Russian troops from Kherson. Moreover, Russia itself is resorting to terrorist methods, trying to demoralize the population of Ukraine through bombings.

NEWS: “[…] decided not to come for several reasons. First and foremost – there was a great danger of a terrorist attack against Vladimir Putin. It was a great and serious danger. The Western secret services are openly at war with Russia, demonizing Vladimir Putin as a person. Apart from this, they use obvious terrorist methods, blowing up gas pipelines, etc. That is why they may use terrorist methods in various cases. […]

The Western countries are Ukraine's biggest enemies. Only Russia supports Ukraine, sending troops there for the special operation meant to liberate it. This is real support. […]

Russia is destroying Ukraine’s energy structure out of love, with the intention of making Ukraine better. And the Western countries, which provide aid to Ukraine, want to make the situation worse, because they give them, first of all, weapons so that Ukrainians die”.

NARRATIVES: 1. Putin did not attend the G20 summit because of a Western terrorist attack that was being prepared against him. 2. Russia bails out Ukraine and helps it by destroying the Ukrainian energy system.

WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The Russian state media is trying to convince the public that Vladimir Putin did not attend the G20 summit because he knew that a terrorist attack was being prepared there against him. At the same time, the Kremlin spokesperson explained the decision of the Russian head of state not to participate in the meeting of the G20 leaders by saying that  he was very busy and he had to be on Russian soil at the moment , to be there for his people.

After the summit, where the pressure on Russia went up, Moscow appeared increasingly isolated and even its partners warned against a potential use of nuclear weapons, the Kremlin started resuming its classic propaganda narrative about the “terrorist West” who wants to destroy Russia and kill Putin. In reality, Putin's life was never put in danger during any of the multiple international meetings and summits held, and the accusation that the West would resort to terrorist methods is totally ungrounded.

Most of the G20 member states have condemned terrorism in several international formats, some of them being involved in various international anti-terrorist actions over the last decades. At the same time, the Western countries were themselves the target of terrorist campaigns that lasted decades (it should be noted that, during the Cold War, some terrorist organizations that launched attacks in the West had links with/were supported by states from the former communist bloc, directed by Moscow).

Pro-Kremlin political scientist Sergei Markov, systematically promoted by the Russian media, brings only one argument, claiming that the same secret services bombed Russia's gas pipelines, referring to Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 in the Baltic Sea. They were damaged by four explosions and Swedish investigators found traces of explosives at the site, but it is not yet known who could have caused them. Russia claimed, without providing any evidence, that it was an operation by the British naval forces. On the other hand, Western experts drew attention to the fact that the damage to the pipelines also benefits Moscow, which is trying to force the West to stop supporting Ukraine by resorting to its energy weapon – stopping or reducing natural gas supplies.

The narrative according to which Russia is actually helping Ukraine by starting the war and destroying the energy system is devoid of any logic. Sergei Markov repeats the Russian propaganda thesis according to which the special military operation is aimed at saving Ukraine. The political scientist also adds, absolutely cynically, that the destruction of the Ukrainian energy system is happening “out of love”. In reality, attempting to demoralize a population through fear, by leaving them in the dark and cold, is the very definition of terrorism.

The international community has also condemned the repeated attacks on the Ukrainian energy system, and a spokesman for the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell, Peter Stano, has said that Russia’s action look very much like war crimes and those who are guilty of committing them must be held accountable. On October 13, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe designated Russia as a terrorist state by adopting a resolution on Russia’s escalation on its war against Ukraine.