ANATOMY OF PROPAGANDA: TOP 3 EVENTS OF THE WEEK

State propaganda continues to face the challenging task of explaining the phenomenon of Prihodko's rebellion to Russian society while jeopardizing peace by simultaneously sending clear signals to potential disobedient hotspots and threatening to terminate the "grain deal".

One of the most crucial tasks for Kremlin media technologists remains the discrediting of Prihodko. The controlled media outlets continue their campaign to shape a convenient image of the past for Putin. In the media's interpretation of events, the current confusion and helplessness of the authorities are replaced with an artificial virtual reality, where the security forces were ready to resist the rebels, conspirators deceived the Wagner private military company mercenaries, and the main organizer of the rebellion, Prihodko, is portrayed as a pathetic dealer and adventurer with a criminal past. Furthermore, in some narratives, the propaganda cast doubt on the combat achievements of the Wagner private military company, drawing parallels between the operation to capture Mariupol by the Russian Armed Forces and the actions of Prihodko's gang in Bahmut.

Unexpectedly, the scandal involving beating opposition journalist Elena Milashina from "Novaya Gazeta" in Chechnya, has become an important focus for Russian media. What draws attention is not only the fact of the attack on a representative of a banned opposition publication but also the sharp public reaction from Moscow. The synchronized angry response from government spokespersons can be interpreted as a signal Moscow sends to Chechnya's leader, Ramzan Kadyrov. Following the failed rebellion by Prihodko, the Kremlin is sensitive to any manifestations of autonomy from the owners of conditionally controlled armed groups.

Kremlin has focused its efforts on blackmailing by threatening to terminate the "grain deal" on international level. The Russian Foreign Ministry regularly generates resonant statements that federal media outlets then disseminate. Formally, the Kremlin demands the resolution of "five systemic tasks," but it is likely that the context of the blackmail also includes hidden elements, such as countering Ukraine's supply of cassette ammunition.