Written by Matt Wickham, analyst, Hybrid Warfare Analytical Group/UCMC
After conducting an analysis of Russian disinformation campaigns preceding and following the Tucker Carlson-Putin interview, our analysts identified a strategy employed by Kremlin propagandists to elevate the interview to the event of the year. This campaign aimed to shape the narrative, instil fear that there was going to be damming new claims that would reduce support for Ukraine, and feed Ukrainian sceptics ill-advised knowledge of East European history.
However, post-interview, due to its failure to meet the lofty expectations set by the Kremlin, coupled with critiques of Putin’s ramblings, propagandists faced the challenge of salvaging the narrative. They pivoted their strategy, seeking to justify Putin’s convoluted statements, drawing comparisons between Putin and Biden’s mental abilities, and manipulating interview statistics and algorithms.
Additionally, propagandists portrayed Tucker Carlson, who offered minimal pushback against Putin’s assertions, as a one-of-a-kind, reputable journalist, albeit one with an ineffective way of interviewing, a failed CIA hopeful, and a hamburger-loving audience. At the same time as raising Carlson, they were also humiliating him and the American people, comparing the intelligence levels of Putin and the Russian populace as strides more advanced.
Russian Narrative : A Putin Vs Biden Comparison – “Putin the Great Historian” Vs “Biden is trembling”
Sergey Markov, Political Scientist and Propagandist, (Telegram Channel 66,000)
“Biden is trembling. His administration is trembling. They fear that Putin will say something that will: encourage Americans to vote against Biden and for Trump.”
Kotnews (Telegram Channel 572,000)
“Unlike the Western media, which emanated bile after Vladimir Putin’s interview with Tucker Carlson, ordinary English-speaking Youtube users are mostly delighted. Here are just some of the comments. [Anonymous twitter user] antilocust : I can’t imagine Biden talking about American history for half an hour without faltering.”
Sergey Mikheyev, Political Scientist and Propagandist, (Telegram Channel 220,000)
“I am certain that neither Carlson, nor Biden, nor any of the congressmen or in the Senate were aware of this history. What is considered a fundamental part of our history textbooks on world history is, for them, uncharted territory. To a large extent, these individuals lack a comprehensive education. Their knowledge of their own history, let alone Eurasia, Russia, or Ukraine, is minimal. They will recognize that Russia is a country led by an intelligent individual, well-versed in many subjects.”
“FRONTовые Zаметки” (Telegram Channel 49,000)
Verified“Putin, in his right mind, with a clear memory, historically knowledgeable and erudite, restrained and entirely internally free, frank and to a certain extent.”
A well-known tactic employed by Russian propaganda is the dehumanisation of foreign leaders, reducing them to incompetent while elevating the Russian leader to the status of an emperor or even an all-knowing deity. This narrative becomes rather ironic when considering Putin’s purported health issues, as evidenced by his recent seclusion in a bunker during the COVID pandemic. Central to Putin’s propaganda has been the portrayal of his masculinity. Extensive resources and years were invested in depicting Putin as the epitome of manhood, whether it be his iconic topless horseback rides or his adeptness at the “manly” sport of fishing. However, contrast this image with the reality of Putin today, seen clutching onto a chair as if on the verge of falling—the once invincible strongman persona no longer holds sway.
Obviously, the image of the macho politician has remained in the past. Putin increasingly resembles more of a Russian grandfather with each passing day.
All that is left for Russian propaganda is to exploit Putin’s, what they deem, a good memory. Indeed, the Russian leader’s ability to name the dates of the first Ruriks’ reigns or the baptism of Rus contrasts with the sparse speeches of his American counterpart, yet Biden is 10 years older. This type of manipulation is quite comfortable for the Kremlin’s master. The average viewer in the West is unaware of the historical material that Putin has been using. This is quite natural, just as the average Russian is unfamiliar with the main events of the American Revolution or the Civil War.
Nonetheless, it is self-evident to individuals with a rudimentary understanding of Russian or Ukrainian history that Putin got rather confused by the centuries and numerous dates in Ukrainian history when Carlson asked Putin to clarify the dates he was referring to. It can therefore be argued that Putin reproduced historical material, learnt off by heart, selected by his advisers.
Gone is the Putin of the early 21st century, once feared and respected, now portrayed as a frail old man ranting about his neighbours and their gardening habits.
Russian Narrative : Western Media censorship – “Tucker Carlson, a Worthy Journalist”
Sergey Markov, Political Scientist and Propagandist, (Telegram Channel 66,000)
“Provide full guarantees, like Carlson did, that there won’t be any deceitful propaganda distortions of the interview – and then Putin will agree. […]Be as free as Tucker Carlson, not propagandists of Biden’s criminal regime, – and then you’ll get the interview.”
Margarita Simonyan, Editor-in-Chief of RT (477,000):
“The main thing that is clear about Carlson from the interview is that he is definitely stepping into big politics. He asks questions with this agenda in mind – to kick his competitors in the upcoming elections.”
Yulia Viteyzeva, Radio Host and Propagandist, (Telegram Channel 73,000)
“Do you know what a true professional is? It’s when you haven’t even started yet, and everyone is already excited. And I’m not just talking about Americans now. On our side, we’re also seeing self-propelled launches into low-Earth orbit. Not as many as overseas, but still.”
“FRONTовые Zаметки” (Telegram Channel 49,000)
“Carlson wasn’t complimentary, although as an interviewer, he was very polite, well-mannered, and intelligent, which cannot be denied.”
Sergey Markov, Political Scientist and Propagandist, (Telegram Channel 66,000)
“Don’t disgrace yourselves by criticising Tucker Carlson. Carlson is a great journalist. He conducted a unique interview that, evidently, will be watched by up to a billion people. We know you’re ordered to “throw mud at Tucker.”
Verified
Russian propaganda has long sought to portray Tucker Carlson as one of the few voices of reason in America, often featuring him on their propaganda channels, echoing the same rhetoric observed from Russian propagandists. However, his oversimplification of the full-scale war and Russia’s war crimes ignore reality.
The Kremlin is using his platform to influence the upcoming American presidential election results, openly admitting to their intentions for Trump to win after this interview. However, the scathing reviews this interview has garnered are humiliating for both the Russian president and Carlson himself. Carlson demonstrated himself to be a subpar interviewer, which comes as no surprise to sober-minded experts in the West. Many had already warned about the lack of his journalistic skills. Hilary Clinton went as far as to call him a “useful idiot,” though Carlson’s former colleague, Chris Wallace, argued that this was unfair… to useful idiots.
Wallace, who works for the right-wing pro-Trump news agency, interviewed Putin in 2018, posing damaging questions to the Russian President. Carlson’s interview cannot be called that, an interview; it was a spectacle in which Putin controlled the conversation, even slyly humiliating Carlson’s intelligence and career, just so we, the audience, knew who was in control here.
Propagandists’ affection for Carlson stems not from his professionalism or skill as a journalist, as they make out, but from his naivety and pursuit of a big cash sum at almost any expense, including that of truth and moral integrity.
Russian Narrative :”The Sub-intelligent (to Russia) American People”
Roman Golovanov, Solovievlive host, (Telegram Channel 72,000)
“About this historical excursion, could they have listened to it all and understood? Are they capable of such a long conversation?”
Sergey Mikheyev, Political Scientist and Propagandist, (Telegram Channel 220,000)
“Carlson is an American journalist, and journalism in the USA has significantly lowered the bar of conversation, essentially bringing it down to the level of the streets. It has regressed to a level of simplicity, even to the point of primitive topics. This shift is primarily driven by the need for easily digestible information. The political discourse in the US and many Western countries has similarly descended to such levels so that a guy drinking and eating a hamburger could understand.”
Verified
Russians have long been influenced by a nationalistic ego that promotes their country as superior and invincible, a narrative deeply ingrained by propaganda as this mentality makes it easy for the state to control information, fostering the belief that only Russian sources are trustworthy. Such attitudes were cultivated during the Cold War era, when Americans were portrayed as enemies and suspicion permeated Soviet society. This mindset extends to sports, where Russians are taught to believe in their athletic prowess despite struggling to maintain pre-Soviet records due to dwindling funding post-dissolution.
Attempts to blame American’s lack of intelligence as the ‘inability’ to see the interview as a success overlooks the interview’s inherent dullness, with Putin’s monologues lacking any significant challenge from Carlson, riveting on for what seemed a lifetime.
While propagandists tout Twitter “views” as a measure of success, these ‘views’ are countred typically after around 30 seconds to 1 minute. Thus, the inflated figures seen on ‘X’ do not reflect genuine interest not does it mean the interview was watched. Consider this percentage: if viewers on X watched the video for a mere 30 seconds, which would count as a view, this is a mere 0.4% of the total duration of the 2-hour and 7-minute interview – hardly a success. The number is, of course, expected to increase whilst the algorithm favours the video, but as time goes on, views will fall. Unless, of course, X owner and Russian sympathiser Musk has edited the algorithm in a way to keep it pulling ratings.
Therefore, the Kremlin’s disappointment is evident in their efforts to inflate view counts post-interview. This, in addition to blaming the West’s supposed lack of intelligence as the reason the interview wasn’t a ‘sensation’, only distracts from the interview’s shortcomings and the Kremlin’s hasty misjudgment of its effectiveness.
Russian Narrative : “Western media lies” – The Break of the Information Blockade
Sergey Markov, Political Scientist and Propagandist, (Telegram Channel 66,000)
“Western media can’t even summarise Putin’s interview. They hide from their readers the fact that Putin constantly suggests negotiations to end the war and achieve peace. They try to present Putin’s speech as a contradictory jumble.”
Poddubny |Z|О|V| edition (Telegram Channel 716,000)
“We will surely overcome the leaden propaganda that the collective West has been building for years, even though the forces and resources in this aspect are not equal.”
Rositslav Ishchenko, political scientist, (Telegram Channel 37,000)
“We are witnessing the disintegration of the elite; they are fighting each other. He didn’t get into American politics yesterday, but he never considered doing such material. But only now, because they require it. It is necessary for their [US] country. All of this combined to help us break through the strong information blockade that had previously existed in the United States against us.”
Sergey Mikheyev, Political Scientist and Propagandist, (Telegram Channel 220,000)
“The US government’s heated reaction is equally intriguing. However, the more they discuss it, the greater the audience it will attract. American newspapers are also covering it extensively, marking it as an information breakthrough.”
Yulia Viteyzeva, Radio Host and Propagandist, (Telegram Channel 73,000)
“An American journalist is simply doing what a true journalist should do. He emphasised that he came to Russia at his own expense (not at Putin’s invitation) and that he had been denied the opportunity to conduct this interview for several years.”
Verified
The Kremlin consistently attempts to depict the West as the evil purveyor of disinformation and censorship. While it’s true that the West has taken steps to limit the availability of Russian channels to the public following Russia’s full-scale invasion, this was done to counteract the decades-long dissemination of Russian propaganda through such channels, heightened at the start of Russia’s invasion to sow discord and break the unity seen between Western nations.
Moreover, despite attempts by several prominent Western media outlets to interview Putin, including Steve Rosenberg, the Russian correspondent for the BBC, who disclosed numerous attempts during the course of the war, as well as distinguished journalists with significant coverage and followings from CNN, the Kremlin has consistently refused.
So then why Carlson? He provides the Kremlin with the platform it had been missing for the past two years, serving as a mere vessel for its disinformation to those who easily fall for emotional manipulation by Russian propaganda.
Russian Narrative : The Collapse of the USSR – a Russian Olive Branch
Colonelcassad (Telegram Channel 807,000)
“I would focus only on the direct statement that the collapse of the USSR was initiated by the Russian leadership. In this regard, the Yeltsin Center looks even uglier, as one of the symbols of the destruction of one’s own country for the sake of friendship with the West.”
Sergey Mikheyev, Political Scientist and Propagandist, (Telegram Channel 220,000)
“Russia went to dissolve its own country, a vast country, and Putin correctly stated and reiterated that we practically gifted these countries with vast resources and territories they had never managed before. What was it for? Was it not enough? We dismantled all these Soviet organizations, leaving Russia in many corners of the world. What was that? Still not sufficient?”
Verified
Despite propaganda attempts to portray Putin as a victim of Western rejection, the dissolution of the Soviet Union cannot be blamed on Western manipulation of promises of prosperity and friendship. First of all, even if such promises were made, they would highlight Soviet leaders’ vulnerability and shortsightedness.
Second, the dissolution was primarily caused by internal factors such as economic inefficiency, stagnation, and shortages, which were exacerbated by the failure of the centralized planning system to adapt to technological advancements. Political reforms implemented under Gorbachev’s leadership unintentionally weakened central authority and fueled nationalist sentiments, including disillusionment with Marxist-Leninist ideology, further eroding communist rule. The Soviet Union became unsustainable and had no choice but to collapse…hence the word ‘collapse’. The West gave Russia the opportunity to engage and implement reforms until Putin’s rise. However, this was more a matter of necessity than choice for the short term.
During Putin’s reign, one could argue that the Russian government made no serious attempts to embrace Western democratic values. Putin pursued a policy of conflict and restrictions on people’s freedoms in order to return to the oppressive society of the Soviet Union. He imposed restrictions on media freedom, suppressed independent journalism, and consolidated state-controlled media outlets.
Here are some examples: Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia’s richest man, arrested in 2003 on politically motivated charges; Bill Browder, a vocal critic of the Russian government, forced out of Russia in the early 2000s and stripped of his wealth; and his lawyer imprisoned, tortured, and eventually killed. Anna Politkovskaya, a journalist who conducted investigative reporting, assassinated in 2006. Not to mention, the extensive list of political assassinations, including the never-ending ‘falling from the window’ tradegy, reflects the corrupt and mafia-like state that Putin leads.
