MOSCOW'S PROPAGANDA MACHINE IS MALFUNCTIONING
Newsweek Europe|August 04 - 11, 2023 (Double Issue)
RUSSIAN MEDIA HAS HAD TROUBLE KEEPING ITS UKRAINE STORY STRAIGHT. IS PUTIN LOSING CONTROL OF THE NARRATIVE?
Isabel van Brugen and Yevgeny Kuklychev
MOSCOW'S PROPAGANDA MACHINE IS MALFUNCTIONING

MOSCOW'S PROPAGANDA OPERATIONS are famous for their reach and effectiveness. Russian media operatives have not only weaponized social media, meddling in American and European elections, they've continued to be major players in inflaming the U.S. ongoing culture wars and political divides.

At home, Vladimir Putin has for years consolidated and tightened his grip on state media to control public opinion and crush any rumblings of dissent. It's been widely reported that every week, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov holds meetings with editors from the main newspapers to ensure cohesion across the press. "Secret instructions" are also issued on current talking points to encourage editors to think of particular lines and stories.

The failures and confusion of Russia's war on Ukraine, however, have shown growing cracks in Putin's propaganda machine. Official media have had trouble explaining the war to the Russian public. As the conflict has continued with no end in sight, Putin's mouthpieces have increasingly contradicted themselves and in a few cases even dared to speak truths about the war that have sent some Putin critics to prison.

The media chaos reached a peak following the Wagner Group mutiny in June. Wagner and its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, hailed as Russian heroes particulary for their role taking the town of Bakhmut, were now traitors. But some Russian politicians and media downplayed the revolt and Putin's spokesman Peskov had to reverse his earilier denials that the president had met with Prigozhin and his men after the mutiny.

As Russian propaganda has collided more directly and publicly with reality, Putin has remained firmly in control. Some observers as well as recent polls, however, suggest he may have a growing credibility gap at home which could be a potential long-term threat to his rule.

Denne historien er fra August 04 - 11, 2023 (Double Issue)-utgaven av Newsweek Europe.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra August 04 - 11, 2023 (Double Issue)-utgaven av Newsweek Europe.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA NEWSWEEK EUROPESe alt
Falling for Romance
Newsweek Europe

Falling for Romance

A new book, Nora Ephron at the Movies, celebrates the writer/director best known for her iconic rom-coms and strong female characters

time-read
5 mins  |
November 15, 2024
Cracking the Norse Code
Newsweek Europe

Cracking the Norse Code

Walrus DNA has shown that Vikings were likely the first to have encountered Indigenous North Americans

time-read
4 mins  |
November 15, 2024
Monumental Shift
Newsweek Europe

Monumental Shift

The discovery of 165-million-year-old crystals Easter Island has upended the longheld notion of how the Earth's \"conveyor belt\" moves

time-read
6 mins  |
November 15, 2024
'OUR FOREIGN POLICY AND DOMESTIC REFORMS ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN'
Newsweek Europe

'OUR FOREIGN POLICY AND DOMESTIC REFORMS ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN'

It is a well-known fact across the globe that the North Korean regime is irrational and unpredictable, but we have been consistent in strengthening our defense posture against the threat from North Korea since the Korean War, and I believe that their conventional capability is much inferior to that of the Korean military.

time-read
10 mins  |
November 15, 2024
'They Read My Eulogy As I Lay in an Open Grave'
Newsweek Europe

'They Read My Eulogy As I Lay in an Open Grave'

Like Paris Hilton, Natasia Pelowski claims she was subjected to abuse at a teenage therapy program

time-read
3 mins  |
November 15, 2024
Russian Economy Faces 'Burnout'
Newsweek Europe

Russian Economy Faces 'Burnout'

Vladimir Putin admits difficulties” as the country’s key interest rate reaches a historic high

time-read
3 mins  |
November 15, 2024
China's 'Silent Chemical War'
Newsweek Europe

China's 'Silent Chemical War'

The U.S. must investigate Beijing's role in the manufacturing of fentanyl that is killing Americans, says one mom whose daughter died after accidentally taking the illicit substance

time-read
5 mins  |
November 15, 2024
HARSH HEADWINDS
Newsweek Europe

HARSH HEADWINDS

President Yoon Suk Yeol's BATTLE to reform a South Korea beset with structural problems under the specter of an increasingly aggressive neighbor to THE NORTH

time-read
7 mins  |
November 15, 2024
Bridget Everett
Newsweek Europe

Bridget Everett

BRIDGET EVERETT NEVER THOUGHT SHE'D BE THE LEAD OF A TV SHOW. \"I come from the downtown world in New York, a cabaret singer, and these things just don't happen, you don't find yourself with three seasons of HBO.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 08, 2024
Amber Ruffin
Newsweek Europe

Amber Ruffin

A LATE-NIGHT COMEDY SHOW ON CNN? YES, and it's a game show, too.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 08, 2024