Kremlin Shady Horse Daniel Kovalik: Russian narratives under the guise of protection of human rights

The project “Shady Horses” delves into investigating Russian propaganda dissemination within Western countries through prominent individuals, often referred to as “talking heads.” 

By analyzing the influence and messaging of these figures, the project seeks to shed light on the tactics employed to spread Russian narratives, their impact on public opinion, and their potential connections to foreign organizations.


Daniel Kovalik is an American human rights and labour lawyer, who has long been involved in cases related to international human and workers’ rights. Kovalik has also written and spoken on issues such as U.S. foreign policy, global justice, and the role of corporations in international affairs.

However, Kovalik’s positions are often different from those of the principles of human rights protection, correlating with the rhetoric of the Russian Federation, a regime that consistently violates these human rights. Kovalik attempts to justify the actions of the Kremlin in Ukraine, replacing concepts at the journalistic and scientific levels. 

For example, he published an article that allegedly explained Russia’s “special military operation” against Ukraine at the legal level and other work – the book “The Plot to Scapegoat Russia: How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Russia,” describes “the decades-long effort to escalate hostilities with Russia.”

Kovalik’s work, bordering on conspiracy theories, is not the only factor supporting the Kremlin’s narratives. Kovalik made several visits to Russia and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, in particular to Crimea. Based on his trips, he actively spreads the “alternative truth” supported by Russia and uses the Russian Newspeak dictionary to comment on mass media. The annexation of the Ukrainian territory thus turns into “Crimea rejoined Russia” and the Russian invasion of Ukraine into a “Special Military Operation” (read more about the Russian newspeak dictionary system here). 

Russian propaganda uses the personality of Kovalik as a “talking head from the USA” in its shows. Russia Today and Vladimir Solovyov base his arguments on “science” and call him an “American human rights defender”. In fact, Kovalik is a full-fledged Russian propagandist, even though he speaks and writes in English, all his rhetoric reflects the Kremlin’s official position.

This, therefore, qualifies him for “The Kremlin’s Shady Horses of Russian Propaganda.”

Who is this Shady Horse?
Daniel Kovalik, professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law

Where are they from?
USA

What have they been saying?

NATO, led by the USA, did everything they could to provoke this war, to provoke Russia and incite Ukraine to act aggressively. And now they provoke it when they stand aside and watch what is happening.

https://russian.cgtn.com/n/BfJIA-cA-BEA/EaGEcA/index.html


This is evidence of an inconvenient fact to the Western narrative of the war which portrays Russia as an invader of Ukraine. In fact, many Ukrainians have an affinity for Russia and have voluntarily chosen to live there over the years.

https://mronline.org/2023/07/30/russia-donbass-and-the-reality-of-the-conflict-in-ukraine/

2014—the real start of the war when the Ukrainian government began attacking its own people in the Donbass.

https://mronline.org/2023/07/30/russia-donbass-and-the-reality-of-the-conflict-in-ukraine/

The lie of “Russian proxies” fighting in the Donbass after 2014 is actually one of the smaller ones of the Western mainstream press, for the claim at least acknowledges that there has been such fighting. Of course, the mainstream media has tried to convince us that there was never such fighting at all and that the Russian SMO beginning in February of 2022 was completely “unprovoked”. This is the big lie that has been peddled in order to gain the consent of the Western populations to militarily support Ukraine. What is also ignored is the fact that this war was escalating greatly before the beginning of the SMO, and this escalation indeed provoked it.

https://mronline.org/2023/07/30/russia-donbass-and-the-reality-of-the-conflict-in-ukraine/ 


Putin reveals draft of peace deal signed by Ukraine last March and derailed by intervention of the US./UK. This war could have been over long ago and tens of thousands of lives saved had the US and UK not killed peace.

https://x.com/danielmkovalik/status/1671224579144941573?s=20

If, as the Western press now tells us, there really aren’t that many Nazis fighting for Ukraine, then why does there appear to be an endless supply of them even a year and a half into the SMO?!

https://x.com/danielmkovalik/status/1668664241082052618?s=20

I have sympathy for the Russian position on Ukraine. The US supported many territories seeking independence. And a referendum was held in Crimea, people expressed their position, this is their legal right. Crimea is Russia.

https://iz.ru/611641/v-ssha-predlagaiut-nanesti-uprezhdaiushchii-udar-po-kaliningradu

Back in March 2022, it was possible to conclude an agreement with Russia, <…> but the United States vetoed this.

https://pravda-en.com/usa/2023/12/18/228048.html

We are told here in the USA that Crimea and Donetsk are occupied. I was there, and neither in Donetsk nor in Crimea are there any signs that some kind of Russian occupation is taking place.

https://t.me/SolovievLive/213236