Propaganda Digest: This is our weekly 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.
On April 20, the House of Representatives, after months of debate, approved a $95 billion national security bill, divided by Mike Johnson into four separate documents. The bill to allocate almost $61 billion in additional funding to Kyiv overcame the resistance of conservatives in the US House of Representatives.
The U.S. House of Representatives with broad bipartisan support passed a $95 billion legislative package providing security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan
Russian Narrative: “The Package Changes Nothing”
Dmitry Peskov, Russian president’s spokesperson:
Fundamentally, this will not change the situation on the battlefield. The Russian armed forces involved in the special military operation are improving their positions, and in general, the dynamics are now obvious to everyone.
ZАПИСКИ VЕТЕРАНА, anonymous Telegram Channel, (312.000):
Will this aid help Ukraine? Yes. Will the balance of power at the front change? No. They gave precisely as much as was needed to maintain the trousers of the Ukrainian Nazis and as much as the American military-industrial complex could master. Everything is calculated there.
Andrei Klintsevich, military observer:
The only way to significantly affect ongoing operations and combat effectiveness is through NATO deploying its own units. Merely supplying weapons to Ukraine without comprehensive training and infrastructure support falls short. An F-16, for example, requires command aircraft and a robust ground infrastructure for optimal performance.
АРХАНГЕЛ СПЕЦНАЗА Z, anonymous Telegram Channel, (1.111.000):
There is no longer any doubt in the United States that Ukraine will lose. It is crucial now that Russia receives it in the most wretched condition possible. “American aid” is the worst curse.
Sergei Markov, pro-government political scientist, Telegram Channel, (65,800):
The overall advantage of the Russian army will remain. And the slow advance of the Russian army will continue. But it will be slower.
Verified:
Following the US Congress’ approval of a new $61 billion aid package for Ukraine, a prevalent narrative implies that the aid will have little to no impact on the battlefield. Propagandists seek to reassure themselves and the Russian people, claiming that the aid is insignificant and Russia will still move ahead seizing Ukraine. They argue that it is merely a symbolic gesture designed to slow down operations, but it will fail.
Russian propaganda’s search for a game-changing weapon in the US aid package exposes their misconceptions. There is no single “miracle weapon” capable of instantly changing battlefield dynamics as hosts of state TV channels are desperately trying to find an answer to – one which can settle theirs and their audience’s current concerns. So Klintsevich is correct in the fact he tells the F16 on its own won’t change anything, this is true. However, what he forgets to mention is the accumulated impact of the aid, which includes air defense systems, ATACMS for deep strikes and F-16s for covert operations, this holds the potential to disrupt Russian operations to tip the events of the battlefield into Ukraine’s favor.
Russian Narrative: “USA – main beneficiary“
ZАПИСКИ VЕТЕРАНА, anonymous Telegram Channel, (312.000):
Another profitable deal has been concluded. Yes, the US policy regarding the war in Ukraine, which they initially unleashed, must be viewed solely as a profitable business project from which the American elite and power elite earn money.
Valentin Bogdanov, propagandist of the Russian state television, Telegram Channel, (34.000):
Republicans have always been lobbyists for the military-industrial complex. Weapons and trade in them are their business. As soon as the smell of big money started to smell, no one could resist.
АРХАНГЕЛ СПЕЦНАЗА Z, anonymous Telegram Channel, (1.111.000):
Out of almost $60.7 billion, Ukraine will get only $7.8 billion, which will be in debt. The rest is $23.2 billion purely for the military-industrial complex and another $11.3 billion supposedly to cover what will be loaned to Kyiv. [The US goal] is to squeeze as much profit as possible out of Ukraine and kill as many Ukrainians as possible. People are the main resource. The fewer Ukrainians Russia gets, the better. The more destruction there is, the more expensive the restoration.
Verified:
One of the fundamental theses of propaganda is the portrayal of US aid as a forced loan, which the “cunning” Americans threw at a weakened Ukraine. This manipulation echoes one of the key arguments of pro-Trump Republicans that aid to Kyiv should be provided on a credit basis. In fact, as part of the bill passed by the US House of Representatives, the US president can write off the $7.85 billion direct financial aid loan after the US elections, i.e., November 5, 2024. Given Ukraine’s challenging economic situation due to the war, there is a high probability that these funds will be written off.
As for military aid, it is not allocated in the form of a loan since most of the allocations are directed to replenishing the ranks of the US army. However, the connection with the support of the Armed Forces is direct since the weapons supplied to Ukraine come either under the particular order of the President (Presidential Drawdown Authority – PDA) or through the security assistance program (USAI). The first mechanism allows for the prompt transfer of anti-aircraft weapons from the American army’s stock to Ukraine. The second mechanism finances long-term contracts with the American military industry to purchase necessary products.
At the same time, Russian propagandists openly manipulate numbers, trying to confuse (and not without success) their audience. The aggressor country launched dozens of different “explanations” into the information field as to why US aid has decreased compared to previous years. However, in reality, the situation is the opposite – in 2024, more money was allocated for weapons for Ukraine than was contained in the aid packages for 2022 or 2023.
Russian Narrative: “Aid in exchange for mobilization“
Говорит ТопаZ, anonymous Telegram Channel, (150,000):
This money will destroy khokhols, together with the law on mobilization. …a new aid package from the United States was adopted immediately after the mobilization law signed by Zelensky. This is a natural transaction for the sale of temporarily living goods.
Roman Saponkov, military correspondent, Telegram Channel (79.000):
As soon as this law was adopted (on mobilization – UCMC), the aid package for Ukraine was immediately adopted. This means that this was a condition of the deal… By the end of 2025, it is planned to additionally recruit 1.5-2 million people into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At least, Zelensky promised to achieve such mobilization indicators to his American masters.
Оборонка, Telegram Channel, (39.000):
The United States fulfilled its part of the deal after Zelensky signed a new, tougher version of general mobilization. Since the basis of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will shortly be infantry brigades, there is no need to allocate large sums to equip them. The emphasis is on quantity rather than quality – the only thing left for the Kyiv regime.
Verified:
Russia is persistently trying to discredit the mobilization measures carried out by Ukraine. The main goal of the Kremlin is to deepen the shortage of personnel in the ranks of the Armed Forces, which will allow the Russian army to advance further into Ukrainian territories.
Russian propaganda “tied” the topic of the allocation of American aid to the problem of mobilization in Ukraine in April after the visit of US Senator Lindsey Graham to Kyiv. The call of the American politician to the Ukrainian legislators to adopt the bill on mobilization as soon as possible and statements about the need to lower the age of mobilization became fertile ground for Russian manipulations. According to the propaganda version, the adoption of the law on mobilization “unlocked” the decision of the House of Representatives. In this regard, it is worth noting that the thesis about mobilization to the ranks of the Armed Forces was not the subject of active discussion in the American discourse, in contrast to the problem of the White House’s war strategy or the practicality of foreign aid to US partners and allies. Therefore, Ukraine’s information law on mobilization did not significantly impact American legislators’ final decision.
Russian Narrative: “Washington prolongs the war“
Dmitry Medvedev, ex-president of the Russian Federation:
It was a vote of joyful US bastards: a) for the continuation of the civil war of the divided people of our previously united country; b) for maximizing the number of victims of this war.
Sladkov+, military correspondent, Telegram Channel, (908.000):
Now, the Maidanists will drive Ukrainian men under our three-ton bombs. It is also not profitable for us to kill Ukrainians; these are the soldiers of the future United States of Russia-Belarus and Ukraine – we need to be able to defend ourselves and develop together.
Valentin Bogdanov, propagandist of the Russian state television Telegram Channel, (34.000):
Russia, even after the acceptance of aid to Ukraine by the US Congress, has a fateful window of opportunity from May to August, when Kyiv has not yet had time to recruit and train those mobilized under the new strict law, and American weapons have not yet reached the front.
Dmitry Rogozin, Senator of the Russian Federation:
The West is interested in Ukraine only as a giant mosquito drinking Russian blood. And as long as the mosquito does its job, the war will not end.
Verified:
Despite attempts to downplay the volume and importance of US aid, the Russians understand that $60 billion is an amount that can, if not tilt the scales in favor of Ukraine, at least equalize the chances. That is why the mass media of the aggressor country are trying to find a balance between the support among “righteous” Russians for the belief in “final victory” and the need to “prepare” the population of the Russian Federation for new heavy losses at the front due to the increase in the capabilities of the Armed Forces.
The narrative that Ukraine’s allies are continuing the war by sending military aid is being used by the Kremlin to absolve itself of responsibility for waging this war. Against the background of the discussion of assistance from the US, there are statements about Russia’s readiness for a “peaceful solution to the Ukrainian issue”. Thus, propaganda broadcasts a distorted picture of the world to the domestic and international audience, in which Ukraine and its allies are the aggressors, and Russia seeks negotiations.
