What Russia says about Ukraine in the West
We analyse pro-Russian outlets aimed at Western audiences, which anti-Ukraine narratives they push, how they work, and how to counter them.
Attributing “terrorism” and war crimes against civilians to Ukraine
Ukrainian defense forces are portrayed as a terrorist group that deliberately targets civilians and critical infrastructure. These messages aim to shift the responsibility for humanitarian disasters onto Kyiv and justify Russian aggression as a “defensive” measure.
Delegitimizing Zelenskyy by attributing to him a rejection of peace
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statements on a ceasefire and the impossibility of holding elections during wartime are cast as proof that he is deliberately prolonging the war to retain power. Individual interviews with his former spokesperson and comments by media figures are inflated into a portrait of an “illegitimate” leader who allegedly betrays both Ukrainians and partners. Calls for negotiations are portrayed not as a position in wartime, but as a hidden calculation.
Amplifying the sense of Ukraine's "international isolation" by exaggerating diplomatic disputes
Routine policy debates in the EU and US regarding budgets, migration, or historical memory are cast as the inevitable collapse of Western support and a final rupture in relations. Isolated statements from opposition figures or complex stages of EU accession talks are inflated into a narrative of Ukraine's total global isolation.
Framing negotiations as US coercion of Ukraine into concessions
Contacts between US envoys and Moscow and Kyiv are cast as US pressure on Ukraine to accept concessions. References to a “breakthrough before winter” and to “compromises” reduce negotiations to a scenario in which Kyiv must accept a decision made without it. The envoys’ meetings in Moscow and Kyiv, along with a possible trilateral format, are inflated into an image of an imposed settlement.
Attributing Ukraine’s debt burden to Zelenskyy
Trends in public debt and future repayments are presented as proof that, under Zelenskyy, Ukraine is supposedly economically doomed and becoming an unbearable burden for its partners. The selection focuses on large sums and percentages without explaining the reasons for borrowing, repayment terms, or the broader wartime context. Financial indicators are reduced to the president’s personal blame and an argument against Ukraine’s EU accession.
Dismissal of financial support by labeling Ukraine a “burden” on the West
Ukraine's requests for financial aid for its agricultural sector are portrayed as endless demands for subsidies that drain allied resources. This manipulation ignores the root cause of the losses—the Russian port blockade—and casts the country as a dependent that only consumes taxpayer funds.
Predicting the inevitable energy and military collapse of Ukraine
Ukraine is portrayed as a failed state whose defeat is preordained by the exhaustion of air defense resources and the critical destruction of its power grid. Manipulators use commentary from Kremlin-aligned experts to convince audiences that Western financial aid is futile.
Attributing systemic theft of Western aid to the Ukrainian leadership
The Ukrainian leadership and Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally are portrayed as corrupt beneficiaries enriching themselves through foreign support. By spreading unverified data about elite real estate and financial schemes involving officials, the narrative promotes the idea that further funding for Ukraine's defense is futile.
Attributing the destruction of Ukraine to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s policies
Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure are framed as a logical response to allegedly provocative actions by the Ukrainian leadership. Manipulators claim that the president's policies led to the depletion of air defenses and the destruction of the energy grid, shifting the blame away from the aggressor.