Putin’s carefully considered and planned appearances are likely to fuel suspicion. Healthy suspicion is in place because Russia is engaged in a lot of propaganda.
Antti Palomaa,
Paula Collin
President of Russia Vladimir from Putin a video was released over the weekend in which, according to Russian television, he attended an Orthodox Easter service on Saturday in Moscow.
A video shared by Russia’s state-controlled Pervyi Channel shows Putin attending a service at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, along with the mayor of Moscow. Sergei Sobyanin with.
The authenticity of the video was questioned on social media on Sunday.
Among other things, the video was suspected to be last year’s material, as Putin’s outfit and appearance are similar to last year’s video.
Some skeptics thought the video was staged so that Putin would have been filmed in an empty church before the service. Putin has rarely been seen in public places lately and has seemed to avoid crowds.
STT has recently interviewed a Finnish expert who thinks the video is a fake. He bases his claim on, among other things, Putin’s movements on video and the president’s appearance.
Also a journalist specializing in disinformation for the BBC, among others Shayan Sardarizadeh tried to dispel suspicions as early as Sunday On Twitter (switching to another service). It is clear from the pictures published by Sardarizadeh that Putin is in a church where worship is taking place.
A review of old photographs and videos shows that Putin has repeatedly dressed in the same way for the Easter service. She is wearing a dark suit, a burgundy tie around her neck, and she always stands at about the same point. The pictures taken in different years are therefore very similar.
Small differences may be found in the candle, for example: this year the candle held by Putin was attached to a white candlestick, there is no candlestick in last year’s pictures.
According to the researcher, this may be wishful thinking
The reality of Putin’s appearances is often questioned. His state of health is also the subject of constant speculation.
Researching Russia Teemu Oivo find many reasons for this. Oivo works as a postdoctoral researcher at the Alexander Institute and the Karelian Research Institute.
According to Oivo, doubts may be based on, for example, hopeful thinking about Putin’s health. If health deteriorated rapidly, an attack on Ukraine could get a quick decision.
On the other hand, the suspicion of dictators is more typical, according to Oivo. Dictators in Belarus and North Korea are receiving similar treatment, but Putin is currently receiving the most attention.
In addition, the interpretation of Russian communications has long been considered difficult.
– The communication of the Russian administration has long been interpreted as if not always false, then multi-layered. It has often been thought that things are not always what they seem, Oivo says in a telephone interview.
Doubts are also compounded by Putin’s way of appearing. When he’s in public, he’s often kind of on a special stand. The press secretary often speaks for Putin, and Putin’s own appearances seem planned and unnatural.
It feels pretended, so it can be easy to start doubting the veracity of the footage.
Teemu Oivo reminds that doubting things is quite natural, and especially in war news. However, it must be remembered that it is difficult to know how large a group of skeptics really are.
– The war is on the lips of many and the conversation going to a person is easy with Small Talk. Putin’s health is certainly a matter of wide interest, he says.
Arouses strong emotional reactions
Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Tampere Pekka Kallioniemen According to him, both the Western media and social media are trying to find weaknesses in the Russian leadership, and in Putin in particular. Kallioniemi specializes in interactive technology.
According to Kallioniemi, Putin’s few appearances at public events provide an opportunity to look for such weaknesses.
– Yes, many of the videos and pictures have clearly shown at least a fairly rapid aging, Kallioniemi says in a telephone interview.
Kallioniemi believes that especially since the start of the war in Ukraine, people have been really skeptical about everything that comes from Russia. A large proportion of Westerners position themselves on the Ukrainian side.
Kallioniemi estimates that this is why many people also hope that the news about Putin’s possible illness, for example, will be true.
In addition, information that evokes a strong emotional reaction is rapidly spreading on social media. It has also become popular on social media to scrutinize video and image material to uncover potential scams.
Doubt can get too large a scale
Senior lecturer at Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, non-fiction writer who studied disinformation Ari Haasio sees two suspicions in the background to the suspicion of Putin ‘s videos in particular.
Russia carries a lot of propaganda, nowadays also on social media. In such a situation, some are happy to interpret propaganda as messages from the other side, which may not be the case, as this may be in the interpreter’s own interest.
On the other hand, of course, it makes sense to be critical of the news coming from Russia. Today, the Russian media only broadcast Putin’s official voice and other perspectives are left out.
– Of course, then you have to be even more precise about the fact-checking, Haasio says in a telephone interview.
At worst, doubt can get too large a scale.
Haasio raises, for example, incorrect information about the military equipment brought to Finland’s eastern border. A video of the military equipment transfer spread on social media earlier this month.
– It is healthy to be critical, but we must not go into a panicked state either.