Weekly analysis of russian propaganda in the Kherson region (December 17-23, 2022)


The situation in Kherson and on the right bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region continues to be tense. Artillery duels take place almost every day, as the Russian mass media admits in the news. Danger remains in the city, but the authorities try to restore civilians' lives. Electricity, water, and gas appear, medical institutions work, and humanitarian aid is brought to the city and given out. 

This week, there is a lot of propaganda on russian Telegram news channels. This propaganda is directed at children who have moved or who have been taken away. More and more events and meetings are held with the participation of children and teenagers. The evacuated children underwent a mandatory medical examination during the previous weeks. These medical examinations were carried out in various parts of the russian federation or in the occupied territories of the Kherson region, allegedly to detect hidden diseases. And this week, 300 children from the Kherson and Zaporozhiia regions visited the kremlin christmas tree. The teenagers visited the State Duma of the russian federation and even had lunch in the parliamentary canteen. Another youth organization, "Movement of the First", was created, aimed at education, the organization of free time of teenagers, and the formation of a worldview "based on the principles of traditional Russian spiritual and moral goals." 

The Henichesk youth met with the minister of education, s. kravtsov, who called on the students of the Henichesk Medical College to actively participate in all-russian competitions to reveal their potential.

However, propaganda is aimed not only at young people but also at adults. In these publications, they talk about historical facts, the greatness of russia, and that Ukraine is a country invented by russia, or a part of it, which does not have the right to a self-sufficient and independent existence. The russians indignation at the fact that Ukraine no longer wants to believe in "Ded Moroz" and has its own wizard, St. Mykolai, indicates that the russian media cannot perceive Ukraine as a country with its own history and culture, always tries to impose its vision, simultaneously devaluing and ridiculing everything that does not belong to them. 

saldo v. began to appear more and more actively in the information space of the russian mass media. He tries to create a feeling that he has everything under control. In his opinion, the main goal for 2023 is the return of the right part of the Kherson region. He noted that he personally meets with v. putin and discusses the region's future. He boldly discredits the Ukrainian authorities, which cannot deal with the "took away" part of the Kherson region, and accuses the Security Service of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine of atrocities and persecution of the civilian population for obtaining Russian passports. Although he admits that there is intensive counter-sabotage in the left-bank part of the Kherson region. The filtering measures of Ukrainian citizens have intensified in the occupied part. The occupation authorities are looking for saboteurs who interact with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.