As we try to understand Russian atrocities in Bucha, Mariupol and elsewhere in Ukraine, RIA Novosti on April 3 published (here) a lengthy article titled “What Should Russia Do with Ukraine” by Kremlin-linked Russian film director and political philosopher Timofey Sergeytsev. The article stands out as a distorted intellectual framework that provides a backdrop for the atrocities.
Defining an idea, belief, or ideology is not possible. However, what is possible is to analyze its essence, the context in which it appears, and to compare ideas with known patterns of history, recognizing that all developments have unique elements.
Why is this article great?
A river of disinformation flows daily from the Kremlin system. Everyone now knows that the Russian government and the Kremlin’s decoys are spread on an industrial scale: the annexation of Crimea, the Donbas myths, the MH-17 plane, the atrocities in Syria, the invasion of Ukraine, the bombing of civilian targets, Kharkiv, Mariupol. and the list goes on.
Explaining Bucha's new atrocities, Russian defense ministries (here) and foreign affairs (here) and embassies (here) went into the usual autopilot by lying: “A Ukrainian provocation, false flag, staged attack, the photos are fake, etc. etc.”
So why is this article different?
Two aspects: First – RIA Novosti is the main Russian news agency. It is 100 percent owned by the Russian state and is part of the state-owned media conglomerate Russia Today (Россия сегодня), headed by Putin-appointed Dmitry Kiselyov (under EU sanctions since 2014). Such long readings reflect “thinking on the hill” – like a beacon/signaling beacon in the night. Once published there, any Russian media outlet and private person can reuse this material without running afoul of news censorship laws, which since March 4 have made it illegal to quote anything other than official material.
Second – the totality or comprehensive nature of the ideas that outline what needs to be done for the future. The ideas form a logical continuation of Putin’s (distorted) description of Ukrainian history (see the similar narrative here).
What does it say?
The terms “Nazis” and “Nazism” are used excessively in the article to name anything related to the Ukrainian state, the Kiev government, or the Ukrainian authorities.
(Full article by EUvsDisinfo in English)