Anatomy of Propaganda: Top 3 Events of the Week
27/03/2023, 07:00
The visit of Xi Jinping and the resonance of the decision by the International Criminal Court determined the main vectors of Russian propaganda. In terms of international positioning, the African direction occupied an important place.
At the beginning of the week, the main focus of the attention of Russian media was to cover the visit of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. For Kremlin propaganda, the arrival of the PRC chairman became a motive to talk about strengthening external political and economic cooperation between the two countries. It is precisely on China that hopes are placed for overcoming sanctions pressure from the United States, EU and G7 countries. This was postulated to Russian society as a way to ensure socioeconomic development in conditions of confrontation with the West. In turn, solidarity with Beijing was emphasized to Taiwan, which was called an indivisible part of China.
The order of the International Criminal Court to arrest Vladimir Putin remained a trigger for Russian propaganda. Russian politicians, experts and media daily generated various arguments against the ICC. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case against the prosecutor and judges of the ICTY. The thesis was actively promoted that the heads of state allegedly enjoy absolute immunity from foreign states' jurisdiction. State Duma speaker Volodin announced changes in legislation prohibiting any activity by the International Criminal Court on the territory of Russia and punishing those who assist it.
Propaganda is trying to shift the global discourse from the real causes of war to alleged contradictions of the existing world order. The Kremlin used the International Parliamentary Conference "Russia-Africa" to position Russia as a leader of the anti-colonial movement. Within the African vector, the University of Friendship of Peoples returned its name to Patrice Lumumba. Official statements had a thesis about writing off $20 billion from countries of the continent by Russia (although this event happened back in 2019).
