ANATOMY OF PROPAGANDA: TOP 3 EVENTS OF THE WEEK

The propaganda was fully involved in foreign policy vector last week. The visit of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un became a headline event for the Russian media. Amid internal issues, the focus remained on restraining the out-of-control price growth.

Vladimir Putin and the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, held talks at the Vostochny Cosmodrome (Amur Region). An official lunch was arranged for the North Korean guest, followed by numerous visits to various military and infrastructure facilities. The leader of North Korea was accompanied on the trip by representatives of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, as well as North Korean ministers and military leaders. It is crucial to demonstrate Putin’s handshake on the international stage to the domestic audience, since he found himself in international isolation. Even such toxic partners as the hereditary North Korean dictator serve as a reason for Kremlin to emphasize its international influence.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared the first and second secretaries of the US Embassy, Jeffrey Sillins and David Bernstein, persona non grata. Propaganda claims that these individuals were engaged in espionage activities, maintaining contact with Russian citizen R. Shonov, to whom "assignments were given for material compensation, aimed at causing harm to the national security of the Russian Federation." The Kremlin is following a strategy of raising the stakes in diplomatic communications with the West, while simultaneously imposing the perception on the population that the United States is a "treacherous enemy."

The rise in prices forces Kremlin to take steps demonstrating control over the issue that concerns the majority of citizens. The Central Bank decided to raise the key rate from 12% to 13% at the board of directors meeting. This move was widely covered as a means of combating high inflation risks. Speakers close to the authorities also reported on the resolution of the "trapped rupee" issue, an important factor in the devaluation of the national currency.