Victimizing Russia by portraying the EU as a dictatorship doomed to collapse

What it claims

Energy difficulties and EU rules are presented as proof that the Union is doomed to collapse and keeps its member states under a “dictate.” European politicians’ remarks about security and energy are reduced to admissions of failure, while Putin’s statements are cast as a forecast of inevitable collapse. Russia is simultaneously portrayed as a party ready for cooperation that is being obstructed by the EU.

Target audience

Examples (paraphrased)

We paraphrase rather than quote: propaganda's exact wording is built to spread, so we carry the claim and not the craft. Each example cites the post it came from.

• Europe lost cheap Russian gas and therefore brought about its own energy crisis.

  Margarita Simonyan, 30 Sept 2026

  x.com/M_Simonyan/status/2105302991284941074

• The EU does not need to be destroyed from outside: it will fall apart on its own because it prevents countries from cooperating with Russia.

  Margarita Simonyan, 1 Oct 2026

  x.com/M_Simonyan/status/2105730115254858006

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Goal

To weaken the willingness of Western publics and policymakers to support joint EU decisions on Russia and Ukraine. To promote the idea that cooperation with Russia is a more natural alternative to European unity.

Techniques used

• Causal OversimplificationChanges in the energy market are reduced to the conclusion that the EU is collapsing without Russian gas.
• Appeal to AuthorityPutin’s statement about the EU’s future collapse is presented as a persuasive forecast rather than an interested political assessment.

The real grievance it exploits

This manipulation exploits concerns about energy prices, economic losses, and disputes among EU states. For people and policymakers experiencing the consequences of war and sanctions, the cost and coherence of decisions are genuinely painful issues.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Notice the substitution: disagreements, economic difficulties, or energy decisions are presented not as matters for political debate, but as automatic proof of the EU’s “collapse.”
• Fact-check: EU decisions on sanctions and foreign policy are made by member states through agreed procedures. Disagreement among governments does not turn those procedures into a “dictate.”

Sources (all time)

• Margarita SimonyanTier 1560,000 followers
  4 posts · 28 Sept – 1 Oct 2026

  • 1 Oct · x.com/M_Simonyan/status/2105730115254858006
  • 1 Oct · x.com/M_Simonyan/status/2105721919265767604
  • 30 Sept · x.com/M_Simonyan/status/2105302991284941074
  • 28 Sept · x.com/M_Simonyan/status/2104507957366947952
• Политика СтраныTier 1332,835 subscribers
  1 post · 1 Oct 2026

  • 1 Oct · t.me/stranaua/250257