During the reporting week, Kremlin propaganda has actively manifested itself in its paradoxical facets. The message of the country's peacefulness was broadcast to the external audience, having unleashed the most significant war since World War II. At the same time, government speakers had to justify the release of criminals who had served their sentences in the "SMO" within the country.
At the G20 Summit, Putin referred to the military actions he unleashed in Ukraine as a tragedy. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at the online G20 summit initiated by India. He touched upon the topic of the military conflict with Ukraine and stated that Russia has never refused to engage in peaceful negotiations with the Ukrainian authorities. "Yes, of course, military actions are always a tragedy. Specific individuals, families, and the country as a whole are affected. Russia has never been against peaceful negotiations with Ukraine; it was Kyiv that publicly announced its withdrawal from the negotiation process and passed a law banning negotiations. The military actions in Ukraine, as already mentioned, shock everyone," Putin said.
The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed that the conditions for pardoning those convicted of grave crimes remain unchanged - participation in the "SMO". Public outcry over the pardon of a 33-year-old member of the satanist-cannibal gang, Nikolay Ogolobyak, sentenced to 20 years in prison for ritual killings of teenagers, forced Mr. Peskov to leave a comment. He served six months in "Storm Z" to be released.
The AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine) eliminated a propagandist of the "Russia 24" TV channel, Boris Maksudov. He worked in the Russian combat zone from the first days of the full-scale invasion. He was injured while filming another propaganda material about "shelling by the AFU of Ukrainian settlements" on the positions of the occupying army. It is noteworthy that the day before, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that there was no threat to Maksudov's life. Even in this particular episode, the Russian propaganda's intention to downplay the scale of losses was evident.
