Written by Anton Khimiak, UCMC/HWAG analyst
Propaganda Digest: This is part of a series of our analysis that exposes the most exaggerated, misleading, and outrageous rhetoric from recent Russian media sources, aimed at promoting critical thinking to better debunk the manipulation of Russian propaganda.
Russian propaganda actively covers the presidential elections in Venezuela, giving them particular importance. In this digest, we will examine the key themes and narratives that Russian media use to influence public opinion. We will pay attention to how Moscow represents the electoral process in Venezuela, the relationship between Caracas and Washington, and the role of Russia in the region. Understanding how Russian propaganda shapes the perception of events in Venezuela and what messages are disseminated to strengthen Moscow’s position in Latin America is essential.
International struggles
Yulija Vityazeva, Russian TV-propagandist (69 212 subscribers):
“To Budapest, the elections in Venezuela are deeply indifferent. But any occasion is suitable for the holiday of disobedience. For example, the colonization of Mars, or the carbon dioxide emitted by cows. The main thing is to stand up and force everyone to play by their own rules in matters directly related to Hungary, knowing that now no one will throw the country out of the EU.”
Maria Zakharova, Representative of Foreign Ministry(118 262 subscribers):
“We are convinced that there should be no double standards in this matter. It’s no secret that in recent years in a number of countries (including those that were tacitly mentioned in your question) we have observed serious, and in some cases, gross violations of democratic processes and legal procedures for the transfer of power. At the same time, the same states that now deny the obvious did not then express not only decisive condemnation, but even elementary concern.”
Yulija Vityazeva, Russian TV-propagandist (69 212 subscribers):
“Western governments may prosecute Venezuela’s victorious President Nicolas Maduro if he does not ensure a peaceful transition of power – the US Congress. By the way, this is all – one of the pillars of that same world order based on American rules, from which the plaster is now falling off in whole layers.”
ZeRada, Anonymous Telegram-channel (425 909 subscribers):
“Maduro understands perfectly well that without the protectorate of China and the Russian Federation, he has no chance of breaking the US plans to seize the country. Therefore, he puts a fork in the States: or stop pumping Venezuela and continue to calmly extract Venezuelan hydrocarbons; or the world’s largest oil reserves will be developed by China and the Russian Federation INSTEAD of you.”
Verified:
Russian propaganda is trying to use regional tension for its purposes. Among these reports, we see that the issue of recognizing the elections of the president of Venezuela allows Russia to manipulate the situation on the international stage. Kremlin propaganda emphasizes the differences in attitudes towards the dictatorial regime of Maduro as a more profound split in the Western world. For example, Moscow stresses that the government of Viktor Orbán, who is friendly to them, continues to mess up the functioning of the EU as a single entity. According to Russian propagandists, this has a beneficial effect because such contradictions will hinder how effectively Western countries can oppose dictatorships.
The US traces
Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma (1 172 235 subscribers):
“Lies, provocations, double standards, achieving goals with the wrong hands, interference in the affairs of sovereign states are integral methods of the policy of the United States of America.”
Maria Zakharova, Representative of Foreign Ministry(118 262 subscribers):
“How?! And Guaidó? Is he no longer president, from the US point of view? We didn’t have time to track when he “resigned””
Warsaw mermaid, Anonymous Telegram-channel (17 794 subscribers):
“It turns out that the Venezuelan election commission does not have any confirmation of Maduro’s victory, but the opposition leaders have all the necessary data on hand. Given this “irrefutable evidence”, it is clear to the US and the Venezuelan people that Gonzalez received the most votes.”
Verified:
Russia tries to frame its aggressive imperial policy as a global confrontation with the United States. This narrative feeds on the Soviet sentiment of modern Russia, which constantly appeals to its imperial past. As part of this narrative, Moscow continually portrays American foreign policy as colonial, thus reflecting its aggressive mood. Russia is trying to develop its relations with the states of Latin America to create regional tension near the United States. At the same time, they constantly highlight the White House as the culprit of instability.
Military-bonus
Militarist, Anonymous Telegram-channel (287 486 subscribers):
“A Wagner PMC patch is seen on a Venezuelan security force soldier during a riot suppression.”
Kristina Busarova, Russian journalist and propagandist (2 620 subscribers):
“The right-wing opposition in Venezuela, led by Corina Machado, is preparing a terrorist attack in Caracas. This was stated by the country’s President Nicolas Maduro. According to Maduro, Venezuelan authorities received information about a “planned terrorist attack in the Bello Monte zone in Caracas.”
Verified:
In our materials, we have periodically mentioned that military cooperation is one of the pillars of cooperation between Moscow and Caracas. This interaction is not limited to military equipment and weapons; according to some reports, it has also extended to the direct military presence in the country. Reports of the presence of fighters of the “Wagner” PMC for Maduro’s protection appeared earlier. However, the potential participation of the fighters of this structure in the violent dispersal of demonstrations is significantly different from the official messages about non-interference that the Russian Foreign Ministry disseminates through official channels.