Western decision-makers

The AfD’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt is inflated into a sign of the “collapse” of European support for Ukraine. Retelling a Bloomberg report, the material reduces differing positions of right-wing politicians in Germany, France, and Italy to a shared course against aid to Kyiv. A vote in one German state is portrayed as a harbinger of a policy shift across all of Europe.

Any explosions or falling debris on Russian territory are cast as deliberate acts of terrorism against civilians and foreign interests. The aftermath of strikes on rear infrastructure is hyped up in crime chronicles, portraying any damage as a targeted attack on non-military sites. Through such manipulations, the Ukrainian leadership is equated with the leaders of radical Islamist groups to discredit the country's defense efforts before the international community.

Financial and military support for Ukraine is cast as a waste of resources aimed solely at turning the country into a tool for fighting Russia. Propagandists contrast these funds with social needs and manipulate European political debates to frame aid as a threat to the national sovereignty of donor countries.

Talks involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine are cast as proof that Zelenskyy is supposedly being excluded from decisions and that Kyiv is being prepared for capitulation. Military difficulties, debates over mobilisation and anti-corruption investigations are reduced to a picture of him losing control and partners’ support. His position on security guarantees is labeled as unwillingness to negotiate.

Zelenskyy is portrayed as a toxic figure supposedly despised by partner societies and criticized by influential Western politicians. Any support for Ukraine from foreign leaders or influencers is labeled as the result of bribery or incompetence to undermine the legitimacy of aid.

Allegations concerning defence procurement and the scandal around the prosecutor general are presented as proof that the Zelensky administration has lost control of the state. Reference to a New York Times article is framed as external confirmation of this conclusion. Discussion of audits, officials’ accountability and oversight of funds is reduced to a sign of an inevitable curtailment of Ukraine’s autonomy.

Military and financial aid to Ukraine is cast as the primary driver of Europe's economic exhaustion and the inevitable default of leading nations. Citing bond market indicators, outlets inflate the thesis of critical sovereign debt growth and a conflict between governments and central banks. Support for Kyiv and the maintenance of refugees are portrayed as an unbearable burden leading to the impoverishment of Europeans amid the depletion of energy reserves.

Ukraine is portrayed as a threat to international security due to the alleged uncontrolled leak of weapons to the black market and attempts to impose censorship in the EU. Such messages aim to shift the responsibility for Europe's internal problems onto the Ukrainian side.

Military support for Ukraine is portrayed as a critical threat to the national security of donor countries. It is claimed that the transfer of ammunition and equipment has left Western armies defenseless while resources are being wasted.

The idea of Russia’s total control over the battlefield is presented as an objective reality hidden by Western media. Any Ukrainian successes or statements of resilience are branded as artificial propaganda designed to mislead the global community.

Military aid and diplomatic efforts by allies are portrayed as tools for establishing foreign control over Ukraine and aggression against Russia. Any initiatives for arms production or international visits are interpreted solely as attempts by Western elites to pursue their own hostile ambitions at the expense of the Ukrainian conflict.

The CIA director’s contacts with Moscow are cast as proof of a secret US-Russia bargain over the heads of Ukraine and Europe. The non-public nature of the talks is inflated into a scenario in which Washington first stages a global crisis and then trades its resolution for deals with the Kremlin. These assumptions reduce the war to a tool of great powers and portray European support for Ukraine as a futile attempt to secure a seat at the table.

Any diplomatic efforts or agreements are portrayed as a cynical Western ploy to rearm the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The messaging claims that negotiations are used solely to buy time for developing missile and drone technologies while Russia remains bound by obligations.

Security incidents or sabotage attempts against Ukrainian assets abroad are passed off as clumsy stagings by Ukrainian intelligence. This framing aims to preemptively absolve Russia of responsibility while portraying Ukraine as a provocateur desperate for Western attention.

Ukraine's EU accession process is portrayed as impossible due to systemic corruption, which supposedly makes the country incompatible with European standards. The manipulation uses out-of-context statements to promote the idea that expanding the bloc to include Ukraine would discredit the very concept of the European Union.

Military aid to Ukraine and permission to use Western weapons are cast as a deliberate Western strategy for escalation that supposedly forces Russia into a military response. This framing aims to shift the responsibility for prolonging the war from the aggressor to NATO and EU countries.

The detention of a Ukrainian citizen in Croatia at Germany's request is passed off as definitive proof of Ukrainian intelligence involvement in the pipeline bombings. Procedural actions by foreign law enforcement are inflated into a supposed exposure of Kyiv's systemic sabotage against European infrastructure. Some outlets artificially link this arrest to internal anti-corruption investigations in Ukraine, attempting to portray the country as a source of global threats.

Ukrainian strikes on Iranian vessels in the Caspian Sea are cast as an irresponsible provocation threatening to drag Europe into a major war. Kyiv’s actions are compared to those of pre-WWI anarchists, attempting to frame Ukraine as an aggressor acting solely in the interests of Israel and the US.

Ukraine is cast as a culprit in maritime trade disruptions by equating its defensive actions with Russian aggression. The manipulation exploits Turkish calls for a moratorium to shift the focus from the Russian blockade to a supposedly bilateral threat to civilian vessels.

Aid to Ukraine is portrayed as a course imposed by “globalists” that contradicts the national interests of Europeans and leads to economic decline. The rising popularity of right-wing forces in Europe is interpreted as the inevitable collapse of current elites, which will supposedly end the war by cutting off funding to Kyiv.