It’s no secret that Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin has enormous influence over the media in Russia. The Russian propaganda machine is running. Through announcements, threats and scaremongering. And ultimately also through the death or other elimination of those who do not comply with the Kremlin’s instructions. A particularly sensitive issue in Russia is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The word ‘war’ is not used in the Russian Federation and is even banned.
Independent journalism is hardly possible in the country ruled by Putin. Even if only at the risk of spending years behind bars or with acute danger to their lives. One of the last independent reporters in the country was the online media “Meduza”, based in Latvia. Shortly after the start of the war in Ukraine, the portal was blocked in Russia in March 2022. Employees of ‘Meduza’ who reported from there had to leave Russia.
But the medium cannot be excluded from speaking. There is constant reporting of what is happening in the country. Now it has published a report on one of Putin’s latest announcements to the Russian media.
War in Ukraine: Putin bans Russian media from speaking
According to the report, two sources close to the Russian government revealed to Meduza what the latest ban looks like. Accordingly, the media are no longer allowed to report on crimes committed by Russian soldiers. The ban mainly concerns soldiers who have returned from the war in Ukraine. including mercenaries and former convicts who would receive amnesty in exchange for their war efforts.
The Russian government has now ordered media close to the Kremlin and state-controlled media to exercise restraint. According to the sources cited, this is the Kremlin’s first directive to the propaganda media regarding reporting on crimes committed by former fighters. The media won’t like that. They would have liked to report on the subject earlier, as the article continues.
‘Military operations’ and criminal soldiers are popular news topics
The Russian news site ‘Lenta.ru’, among others, published an article in mid-October with the headline ‘Former Wagner fighter returns from a special military operation and stabs disabled grandmother for money.’ These and similar articles have appeared in abundance in recent weeks, including on Kremlin-affiliated Telegram channels and in government-controlled local news media. Because: “Crimes always attract a good readership, and mentioning the special military operation in the headline interests the readers and makes the news more clickable,” says the source, who wishes to remain anonymous.
However, that is now over. Putin puts an end to the negative reports.
The person close to the Russian government said: The new restrictions are necessary “so that the Russians do not view the fighters as potential criminals and do not fear their return.”
According to the report, the source also said that from the Russian perspective, good and “patriotic” journalists would not have reported in this direction anyway. Even without Putin’s intervention, they would have understood that these types of articles were inappropriate.
Putin’s propaganda machine is running smoothly in Russia
A look at the Kremlin-friendly media also shows this: for example, the popular tabloids “Komsomolskaya Pravda” and “Moskovsky Komsomolets” did not say a word about the soldiers’ crimes. There was and is positive reporting about the returned fighters and the progress of the war. The Komsomolskaya Pravda headline on Tuesday read: “Hero of Special Operation ‘Z’: Sub-Lieutenant Mongush saved a wounded comrade.”
Another report from the medium focuses on the emotional story of a soldier. He returned “with bouquets of flowers for his wife and mother.” The source quoted by the banned media “Meduza” classified reports as follows: “There is a desire to show that the soldiers returning from the front are really polite, sensitive and caring people.”
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
