Russian Media Monitoring – April 15-21

Matt Wickham, HWAG/UCMC analyst

“Why Israel and not Ukraine? – Zelensky isn’t the right kind of Jew”

Sergey Mikheyev, a Russian “political scientist” and propagandist, attempts to justify why Israel receives strong military coordination in its defense from the US  but Ukraine does not, stating in an anti-Semitic tone that Zelensky may be a Jew, but they [the Americans] just do not consider him the “right kind.” He tells how Israel is a longer-term project than Ukraine, more in touch with Western elites (method of operation) and thus, more important. He tells how Ukraine is “insignificant” in comparison.

“The West is demonstrating that, after all, Ukraine is just a project. And they are demonstrating this so openly” 

Sergey Mikheyev, a Russian “political scientist” and propagandist

Mikheyeev claims how Ukraine believed it was part of the US’s world elite order and how its oligarchs had tried to “perform their order from the West” for years but were ultimately duped and never given the same amount of respect as other businessmen. He claims that if Ukraine has behaved more independently, with a balanced relationship with both the West and the East, things may have turned out differently.

“They see themselves as part of the West and have been tricked into thinking they are a part of the West’s deception.”

Sergey Mikheyev, a Russian “political scientist” and propagandist

This is all an attempt to further push his own hatred against the west, often telling of his annoyance of those “foolish Russian businessmen and politicians” that fell for the West’s “lies” of partnership and equality for many years before the full-scale invasion. His comments regarding a “right kind of Jew”  is also a grotesque regard to Zelensky’s religion, from a man that defines himself as a man of god, speaking weekly with Roman Golovanov (another SolovievLive host) on religious issues (although usually it turns to his hatred for LGBT individuals)

“A World of Double Standards, No Standards”

Only Maria Zakharova could spin the attack on Israel and Ukraine  requesting the same level of support from its allies to return to her lies about the Bucha Massacre. She argues that a world of double standards, as Ukraine accuses the West of, is impossible because the world is devoid of any type of standards.

“And what is happening now is the destruction of any fundamental standards; it is an anti-standard; it is the application of false assumptions in each specific situation for purely opportunistic reasons, and that is what I would call it. There is no place left in the world for ‘standards.'”

Maria Zakharova, Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

To “eloquently” convey her point, she cites how the UN is investigating the recent drone attack on the ZNPP (with criminal expertise and a mandate), stating that the UN can’t yet determine who attacked the plant, but they could confirm the Bucha Massacre in an attempt to claim the UN has sided with Ukraine in an unjust manner. Zakharova lies, telling how no  investigations or criminal expertise were used to confirm the atrocities of Bucha, and that the West has simply made evidence from the divine act of “coffee ground readings” (a spiritual fortune telling method).

Amnesty International, which has in no way sided with Ukraine during this war, reported that their investigation concluded with clear cases of unlawful killings. “An on-the-ground investigation reveals 22 cases of unlawful killing in Bucha and dozens of civilian deaths in airstrikes in Borodyanka.” Furthermore, the satellite image shows that the bodies have been scattered on the streets in exactly the same location since March 19 and, in some cases, since March 11, when the town was under Russian occupation (Russian troops departing on March 30).

Zakharova’s attempt to show the world as devoid of standards is a weak attempt to distort those events which have undergone thorough investigations as having no mandate, attempting to sow doubt into western institutions and redirect the attention from Ukraine’s call for more support to that of Russia’s provocations at the ZNPP.

“Strict intensification of Ukrainian Mobilization Due To US Demands”

TG channels revive the narrative that the US has decided to continue its strategy of fighting Russia using the AFU as bait and “waste resources” all the while mobilization in the country is possible. Propaganda asserts that Ukraine has pledged to send additional mobilized forces to the frontlines in exchange for US weapons. Claims suggest that the US will agree to provide military aid only under the condition that Ukraine intensifies its mobilization to unprecedented levels.

“At what point did the issue of allocating money for weapons to Ukraine shift in the US? That’s right: as soon as Zelensky pushed through the law on increased mobilization. Although he was very reluctant to do so, as the law is unpopular. But he had to. The Americans allocate weapons exclusively for specific cheap soldiers. In other words, Zelensky pays for the weapons with Ukrainians.”

Russian TG channel – Радио Стыдоба (106,000 followers)


Since the beginning of the war, Russian propaganda has pushed the narrative that Ukrainian men are forcibly conscripted, thrown into the backs of trucks, and sent straight to the front lines without training. This portrayal is a tactic that mirrors Russia’s own practices, which have led to the loss of over 450,000 troops to date. However, the reality is, under the command of Wagner’s Prigozhin, and then later copied by Russia;s military leadership, Russian troops were sent into battle without adequate armor or even weapons, effectively used as human shields to advance military positions meter by meter. This narrative sharply contradicts Russian propaganda’s earlier campaign, which implied that Ukraine was “running out of men,” resorting to conscripting female soldiers and pulling civilians from the streets. Instead we see this portrayal aims to stoke fear and anxiety among the Ukrainian people. Gasparyan adds to this narrative with the classic “ to the last Ukrainian” campaign-.

“Until the last Ukrainian.” Third call. There will be no intermission. The condition for new arms supplies to Kyiv by NATO countries was the adoption of a strict law on mobilization to make up for losses”

Armen Gasparyan, Russian propagandist and Soloviev Live host

“The West Tried to Assassinate a Rogue Zelensky”

Last week, reports surfaced about a planned assassination attempt on Zelensky during one of  his visit to Poland, which was foiled in a joint operation by Ukrainian and Polish law enforcement agencies. Russian propaganda quickly seized on this news to portray the West as “had enough” of a “rogue” Zelensky and his “unruly” leadership of Ukraine. The narrative is one long used, suggesting that Zelensky was handpicked by Western powers to govern Ukraine and this luxury can also be taken away by the West, aligning with the Kremlin’s campaign that Ukraine is merely a puppet state for the US.

It aims to undermine Zelensky’s credibility by painting him as weak, easily manipulated, and unfit for leadership. This is achieved through the repetition of Kremlin-fabricated rumors, such as baseless claims of drug addiction, a tactic reminiscent of previous disinformation campaigns, as seen in the picture posted by Medvedev (although anything Medvedev writes should be paid little regard). 

“An assassination attempt on Poland’s top Banderite? Now this is really serious. The drug clown has reason to be very worried. It may well be the first proof that the West has decided to liquidate him. Be afraid, Clown!”  

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia
A fake picture posted by Medvedev

The truth is that the Polish individual was recruited by Russian special services to help plan Zelensky’s assassination by agreeing to provide information to the Russian security service about operational security measures at Rzeszów-Jasionka airport. This airport is based in southeastern Poland, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the border with Ukraine, an airport that the Ukrainian president frequently uses on foreign trips. This is a failed Russian operation, twisted by the great (failed) Kremlin twister, Medvedev.