ANATOMY OF PROPAGANDA: TOP 3 EVENTS OF THE WEEK

Russian media paid exaggerated attention to events related to the termination of the lease agreement of the Moscow Patriarchate for the property complex of the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra". They also discussed the new Concept of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation. Top event of the recent Sunday was the elimination of the prominent propagandist Maxim Fomin (Vladlen Tatarsky).

One of the key themes of Russian propaganda recently has become the so-called "hunt" for monks of the Moscow Patriarchate in Kyiv. The termination of the lease agreement for the buildings of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is being used by the Kremlin to make statements about the religious discrimination of "canonical Orthodox" in Ukraine. In particular, the summons for questioning of the so-called governor of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Pavel Lebed, was actively covered.

During a meeting of the Russian Security Council, Vladimir Putin announced that he had signed a decree on the new Concept of Foreign Policy in Russia. The main point of the new Concept of Foreign Policy regarding Ukraine is that the United States is directly named as the main initiator and leader of the anti-Russian line. Moscow considers the US the primary source of risks to its security; therefore, Kremlin will prioritize "eliminating the remnants of US dominance in the world". Emphasis on partnerships with China and India indicates the desire to involve stronger players in the global confrontation with the West, which is an overwhelming challenge for technologically backward Russia.

The elimination of the well-known military correspondent Maxim Fomin, better known under the pseudonym Vladlen Tatarsky, in Saint Petersburg caused a flurry of discussions in the Russian information space. His channels "Daytime Vladlen" and "Evening Vladlen" had over a million subscribers. In fact, Russian information space is keeping it silent that Maxim Fomin, a native of Makiivka, joined the ranks of pro-Russian separatists after escaping from places of imprisonment, where he was serving his sentence for robbing a bank. As in the case of Pavlo Lebed, propaganda tries to impose on him the spirit of a "martyr-hero".