The relentless propaganda of television is forcing many Russians to support their country’s hostilities in Ukraine. For some journalists, the lies have become too thick.
22.3. 06:10 • Updated March 22nd. 07:14
MOSCOW Andrei wants her ex-mother back.
The mother has begun to talk about Ukrainian fascists and the enemy countries besieging Russia. He repeats word-for-word TV propaganda justifying the Russian invasion war in Ukraine.
– The mother has become aggressive, and our conversations end in disputes. Sometimes I can’t just hang up a call, Andrei from Moscow says.
Andrei in his thirties appears in this story without his real name and without showing his face, for he is afraid.
The recently passed so-called War Censorship Act could bring years of imprisonment for public opposition to war.
Andrei looks tired and nervous. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has lasted for more than three weeks.
The initial shock and horror of escape have receded into the background. Feelings of guilt and anxiety about how to build the future in new circumstances have crept in.
Andrei, who already works in the advertising industry, is being punished by sanctions and the withdrawal of international companies. Worse still lies ahead as the cost of living continues to rise.
At the start of the attack, both Andrei and his mother both considered the events a terrible disaster. Since then, views on war have changed.
– It is very difficult mentally to understand that a close person considers these events normal and inevitable, Andrei says.
According to Andrei, a mother in her fifties has lost her humanity. More important than supporting her own family members is the mother’s support for the Russian leadership and its “fight against fascism.”
Mom refused to interview . In a call recorded by Andrei, he also forbids his son from speaking to Western journalists.
– No extra reason should be given to mock Russia, no matter how bad things are. They are all against us, and so we were already taught in the Soviet Union, Mom says on the recording.
Andrei believes that the older generations are easy to manipulate precisely by appealing to the Soviet-era familiar enemy images of the military alliance NATO and the United States.
Becoming more aggressive state propaganda has caused some of its perpetrators to turn their backs.
Editor-in-Chief of the state media company RT, formerly Russia Today Marija Baronova resigned a week after Russia launched the attack.
Baronova says her measurements were reached at a time when the media was publicly attacking those critical of the war. Propagandists claim that the citizens of the country who are ashamed of the hostilities are not real Russians.
– But damn it, I am! The bombers in Kharkov are real traitors to the homeland, Baronova says via video call.
Baronova refused a last-minute appointment with . He said he is unable to perform in front of the camera as he is not allowed to sleep at night due to stress.
Baronova is not alone in her solution. A few journalists who have spent their entire careers on Russian state TV channels have publicly opposed the war.
The best known of them is the supplier of Russia’s number one channel Marina Ovsjannikova. He aired a live poster urging him to end the war and not believe in propaganda.
Another journalist working for state television tells that after the incident, the atmosphere in the broadcasts has been tense and security measures have been tightened to prevent a similar protest. According to him, some of those who do TV propaganda genuinely believe in their cause, while others do not.
– In my free time, I have a completely different view of things, but at work I consider it my own information, the news reporter of the state TV channel says. does not say his name for security reasons.
The reporter says he does not see a big contradiction in the matter and has not considered resigning himself.
– I am only one small wheel in the state propaganda machinery, the news reporter acknowledges.
It is through false TV propaganda many Russians are persuaded to accept their country’s hostilities in Ukraine.
According to the independent Levada research center, two-thirds of Russians support the war, which in state propaganda should not be called a war but a “special military operation.”
Attitudes toward war depend heavily on what is each’s main source of information, says Levada’s director Lev Gudkov. Approval is strongest among older generations who get their news on Kremlin-controlled television.
Gudkov believes that opposition to the war will increase as information about those who died in the war increases and sanctions become more and more on everyone’s wallets.
– But society wakes up slowly. Understanding causal events and their effects on everyday life takes time, Gudkov says in an interview with .
Meanwhile, state propaganda continues to explain things to its advantage.
– The effect of propaganda and its effectiveness must not be underestimated, Gudkov says.
In addition to propaganda, other Soviet-era means of manipulating citizens are increasingly being harnessed in Russia. These include censorship and repression of any criticism of the regime.
With the new legislation, public opposition to war can be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.
Andrei continues to persuade his mother out of propaganda, even if the task seems impossible.
According to Andrei, the mother has a pre-determined answer to each of his questions and remarks. The culprit is always the United States, and Andrei’s head is thought to be mixed with fake news.
Andrei herself, among other things, is worried about her mother’s mental health if at some point she realizes the real edge of things.
– It is scary to imagine what kind of blow it will be to the mother, she says seriously.
Tuesday’s A-studio will tell more about “Andrei” and reflect on what ordinary Russians think about the war in Ukraine. The guests are Kristiina Silva, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, and Oxana Kyllönen, a Russian living in Finland. Presented by Marja Sannikka. TV1 and Areena at 9 pm #yleastudio