Discrediting state communication via the «total propaganda» label

What it claims

Any statements by the Ukrainian government or military command are cast as staged actions designed to mislead society and hide real problems. Propagandists claim the state keeps citizens in an «illusion» through total control over the media space to justify continuing the war and enabling corrupt enrichment.

Target audience

Examples (paraphrased)

• Claims about a shortage of air defense missiles are just an attempt to lure more ammunition out of Russia, while in reality, the sky is well-protected.
• Official reports of frontline successes are «information noise» created to report to the West and calm the domestic audience.

Goal

To undermine trust in all official information sources, sow apathy, and convince citizens that they are being cynically manipulated.

Techniques used

• Loaded LanguageUsing terms like «warming up», «anti-crisis», «cannon fodder», and comparing Ukrainian strategy to «Goebbels» methods.
• Appeal to Fear / PrejudiceIntimidating youth with inevitable mobilization and claiming total intelligence service control over private life on social media.

The real grievance it exploits

War fatigue and the natural distrust of state institutions under conditions of restricted information access during martial law.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Exposing the «mirroring» technique: Russia, which maintains total state control over media, attributes its own methods to Ukraine to demoralize the population.
• Reframe: Explaining that in a democratic society, the existence of diverse opinions, criticism of the government, and public debates (e.g., on mobilization) is a sign of free speech, not a «managed illusion».

Sources

• Лохматый Z НиколаевTier 134,699 subscribers
• ЛегитимныйTier 11,058,110 subscribers
• Анатолий ШарийTier 11,580,897 subscribers
• Open Ukraine| Открытая УкраинаTier 1180,883 subscribers
• ЗеРадаTier 1423,987 subscribers
• Политика СтраныTier 1328,298 subscribers
• Евгений МураевTier 177,162 subscribers
• Одесский партизанTier 33,455 subscribers
• Украина. Спецоперация. Мониторинг СВОTier 115,838 subscribers
• ОЛЬГА ШАРИЙTier 1111,588 subscribers