ANATOMY OF PROPAGANDA: TOP 3 EVENTS OF THE WEEK
04/09/2023, 13:00
The main challenge for state propaganda appeared to be the scaling of drone strikes across the entire European part of the Russian Federation. At the same time, Kremlin media technologists have been solving the task of mitigating public resonance over the funerals of Prigozhin and extending Girkin's (Strelkov's) arrest.
The recent drone strikes on targets in the Central and Northwestern Federal Districts have sparked another wave of outrage in the media and social networks. The recent attack on the Pskov airport has been particularly painful, with several military transport planes being destroyed, including Il-76. To address the issue, the Russian Minister of Defenсe, Sergey Shoigu, inspected the state defence order (GOS) fulfilment at defence industry enterprises. Following the inspection, the minister emphasized the need to increase production and repair of radar detection systems on a 24/7 basis.
The Kremlin has dismissed the international investigation into the crash of the Embraer involving Yevgeny Prigozhin. The press secretary of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, stated that the involvement of international bodies in the investigation of the plane crash is impossible. Yevgeny Prigozhin and other leaders of the Wagner private military company were killed during that crash. The authorities are doing everything to exclude the possibility of an objective investigation, fearing accusations against themselves. Even the funerals of Prigozhin and Utkin were organized in a way to minimize the risk of spontaneous gatherings of their supporters.
Russian authorities continue their campaign on eliminating the opponents of Vladimir Putin. Not only pro-Western liberals but also right-wing radicals are under informational and legal pressure (which is important in terms of the potential risks of new armed uprisings). In particular, the Moscow City Court approved the arrest of Igor Girkin (Strelkov) on charges of inciting extremist activities. Thus, another community of turbo-patriots formed around Girkin and opposing Putin was discredited and destroyed.
