Matt Wickham UCMC/HWAG analyst
With the UK elections fast approaching (July 4), our analysts have examined how the Kremlin’s propaganda machine has targeted, undermined, and manipulated British leaders since Russia’s full-scale invasion. With the UK playing a prominent role in supporting Ukraine from the outset, interfering in the UK’s politics and therefore its political stability has been a primary task of the Kremlin’s hybrid warfare agenda.
Liz Truss, who held the shortest premiership in British history at just 49 days, emerged as a prime target for Kremlin trolls, disinformation, and ridicule. Although her resignation was welcomed by the British people, this dissatisfaction and ridicule towards her was no doubt intensified and played on, perhaps even coordinated, by the Kremlin. It used its army of trolls and foreign mouthpieces abroad to echo its Kremlin rhetoric, which ultimately contributed to Truss’s resignation.
Russian Narrative: “Stupid, uneducated Truss – Geographical mistake”
Verified:
In an attempt to catch Truss, the UK’s (then) Foreign Minister, off guard during negotiations in Moscow while Russia troops were surrounding Ukraine in their hundreds of thousands, the Russian minister, Lavrov, asked whether the British government would recognize the regions of Voronezh and Rostov.
To dupe the British politician, he purposely left out that these are Russian regions. Truss, after a short pause, mistakenly responded that the British government would never recognize these regions as Russian (thinking that this is Ukrainian territory from the way Lavrov posed the question). This was an obvious attempt to personally humiliate Truss, who had already faced scrutiny and became the target of trolling upon her arrival in Russia – mocked for wearing a Siberian woolly hat.
The intent was clear even then: Russia couldn’t have another “Iron Lady” leading the UK and so discrediting her before she could portray herself as such would set the ground-work for further smear campaigns and the demise of her career.
Following this incident, Russian propagandists seized upon the narrative of Liz Truss’s alleged lack of education for not knowing the geography of Russia.
This rhetoric was continued throughout her campaign for Prime Minister and during her premiership despite having studied at the world-renowed University of Oxford, where she earned a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics.
Interestingly, Oxford is consistently ranked in the top ten universities worldwide, whereas MGIMO, where Lavrov and Zakharova studied, is not even ranked in the top 1000 globally.
Margarita Simonyan, Editor-in-chief of Russia Today
“I recall Maria Zakharova questioning which universities the British Foreign Secretary attended. Well, let me inform you: Liz Truss graduated from Oxford.”
Maria Zakharova
“After the UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss embarrassed herself with her knowledge of geography and history, she made the right decision: learning is enlightenment. Having shown a surprising lack of understanding of the subject multiple times, and simultaneously demonstrating a startling incompetence for her position, it seems she has finally decided to correct herself.”
Maria Zakharova:
“UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has stated that after Ukraine, Vladimir Putin intends to annex the Baltic states.” But Liz Truss is not as simple as she seems. The Englishwoman has figured out our cunning plans to seize the Kaliningrad region.”
Russian Narrative: “A Female Kind of Crazy”
Verified:
Russian propaganda frequently uses a simplistic yet effective tactic of discrediting its adversaries by portraying them as mentally unstable. This method requires minimal effort and gains significant traction from those who aren’t interested in diving deep into the world of politics, but formulate their “political perspective” from catchy news headlines and catchphrases on radio shows.
The ‘crazy’ narrative is a familiar tool in Russian propaganda’s treatment of women, particularly those in positions of power. In a field dominated by male propagandists often characterized by male chauvinism, female leaders are seen as a threat and therefore discredited as lesser people.
One such method involves portraying them as overly emotional or irrational. This tactic was notably evident when Liz Truss became the target of suspected Kremlin-ordered phone hacking. The breach reportedly accessed top-secret exchanges with international partners and private conversations with her key political ally.
This incident not only highlights a significant lapse in British security but also raises concerns about Kremlin interference in UK politics prior to Truss’s premiership. The Krmelin potential gained information on Truss for future psyops against her to further interfere in here career and British politics.
In order to fit in with future narratives that “Lizzy” was losing control amid escalating tensions, propaganda spun Truss’s routine phone switching as being paranoid. This was particularly noticeable during the growing nuclear threat posed by the Russian military stationed at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. This period of heightened international concern about a potential nuclear catastrophe at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, was shared not only by Truss but by other leaders of NATO.
Maria Zakharova:
“Truss, in her last days in office, became “obsessed” with weather forecasts and closely monitored wind directions. She believed that Russia would use nuclear weapons, and as a result, radiation would reach the shores of Britain. A perfect title for a movie – “The Phobias of Liz Truss”. I wonder, did she buy iodine?”
Maria Zakharova:
“In my opinion, interviews with UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss pose a significantly greater risk to the UK’s national security as they threaten the nation’s mental health.”
Maria Akhmedova:
“British press reports indicate that in the last days of her tenure as Prime Minister, Liz Truss was obsessed with weather forecasts and wind maps. She was convinced that after Ukraine’s attack on the Crimean Bridge, Putin would inevitably push the button, create a nuclear mushroom over the Black Sea, and radiation would reach the unfortunate Truss. Thankfully, she didn’t go to work in a tinfoil hat.”
Armen Gasparyan:
“Impossible to hold back the tears.” – Lizzy Truss has changed her phone number for the fourth time recently. She is in a panic after her phone was allegedly hacked by hackers reportedly working for Russia.”
Russian Narrative: Alcoholic/Druggy – Traces of Cocaine Found
Verified:
Another common Russian narrative targeting foreign leaders is to portray them as addicts of substances such as drugs or alcohol. Ironically, this tactic often exploits issues prevalent within Russia itself, where alcoholism significantly affects the male population. For instance, Dmitry Medvedev has been labeled ‘alcoholic Medvedev’ by Ukrainian channels due to his what can only be described as incomprehensible and crazy social media posts calling for the genocide of Ukraine or attempting to rewrite history.
This portrayal aims to discredit leaders like Liz Truss by suggesting they are incapable of rational thought or decision-making because they are high on “something”, yet still unable to lead without it.
Russian propaganda also uses the drug narrative to imply unfairness—where leadership is seen as above the rules, allowed to indulge in drugs while the people have to follow the rules the government makes.
Although reports have indeed mentioned traces of cocaine found in the Foreign Office mansion after events, there is no evidence linking this to Liz Truss personally.
Moreover, Gasparyans nickname of Truss “Lizzy” is another attempt to belittle her influence. Lizzy is a name one would give a friend or a young girl, and so by naming her so aims to lower her status to that of a school girl, not a respected leader of one of the most GDP rich nations on earth.
Tina Kandeliki:
“The secret behind Liz Truss’s geography issues has been revealed: traces of cocaine were found in the British Foreign Office mansion after parties hosted by Liz and her colleagues.”
Armen Gasparyan:
“Lizzy, as it turns out, enjoys a drink. That explains a lot! 🙂 – According to The Times, while heading the Foreign Office, Truss insisted on being provided with a bottle of wine during her visits.”
Maria Zakharova:
“And there you have it – the host of this dreadful event fainted after yet another mind-bogglingly absurd statement from Liz Truss. No director could have dreamed of a better climax.”
Armen Gasparyan:
“Everyone refreshes themselves in their own way.”