Russian propaganda has been widely deployed during the Ukraine War, with many outlets claiming that Europe and the UK would be lost without Russia’s presence. This is often used to justify the military interventions in Ukraine and other former Soviet states and to paint a picture of Russia’s superiority over its Western counterparts. By positioning itself as a savior of Europe, Russia has sought to gain more support from within its targeted countries for its actions and policies in the region.

In its latest release media release, Russians are claiming Europe is now encouraging kids in kindergarten to use plastic in schools instead of toilets in case water and electricity go “off in the country.”

As for the United Kingdom, apparently, the government is encouraging British women to become prostitutes as they allegedly quote an English press saying, “have sex for the sake of survival.” Moreover, it has been extremely grave in the UK as “citizens of Cardiff have switched to eating pet food” and use up the central heating to heat up their food because, apparently, microwaves and stoves are no longer working.

Then, in France, as per Russian media, residents and commercial properties are supposedly implementing rotations in using electricity. There are those assigned to the 8 .am. to 1 p.m. rotation, while others are permitted to use the electricity from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Poland is also experiencing grave consequences, according to Russian media. First, the Polish are supposedly using trash to heat up their stoves. Then in Budapest, residents are supposedly using bike generators to light up their Christmas trees. Meanwhile, Germans are now out of candles in Germany as the holiday season comes closer.

“The mayor’s office made this desperate step due to total economy on the increasing expenses on electricity.”

Watch the reporting below:

Russia’s Problematic Propaganda Media

Russian media outlets have resorted to extreme tactics to further bolster this narrative. However, international observers widely criticized their tactics, with some arguing that it was an attempt at manipulating public opinion by highlighting the economic devastation caused by war while simultaneously glorifying Russia’s capabilities.

Russian propaganda has also been heavily focused on demonizing Ukraine and its government officials, with numerous reports attempting to link them to fascism or Nazism. For instance, before the war, Russian media aired several segments which accused Ukrainian officials of allegedly “glorifying Nazi collaborators” and attempting “to rewrite history .”These types of narratives have been used as justification for the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the ongoing conflict between Moscow-backed separatists and Kyiv forces in eastern Ukraine.

“This rhetoric is factually wrong, morally repugnant and deeply offensive,” scholars of genocide and Nazism from around the world said in an open letter after Putin invaded. While Ukraine has far-right groups, they said, “none of this justifies the Russian aggression and the gross mischaracterization of Ukraine.”

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Russian Propaganda
(Source: @Gerashchenko_en/Twitter Screengrab)

Furthermore, these outlets have consistently portrayed Ukraine as chaotic and unstable, ignoring any positive developments that might challenge their narrative about the country being torn apart by civil war and unrest. This type of reporting has shaped public perception across Europe as many people remain unaware of what is happening on the ground or even how much influence Russia has had in shaping events there since 2014.

Ultimately, Russian propaganda media outlets have proven extremely successful at influencing public opinion regarding the war in Ukraine, not only through their portrayal of events but also through their use of manipulative tactics such as exploiting poverty or painting Ukrainian officials as fascists or Nazis. It is thus essential for researchers, journalists, and policymakers alike to remain aware of how Russian media influence public sentiment across Europe so that they can counter misinformation effectively.

“President Putin and his disinformation and propaganda apparatus exploit the historical memory of the Soviet fight against Nazi Germany to fabricate a pretext for their unprovoked brutal war against Ukraine. To serve its predatory ends, the Kremlin is exploiting the suffering and sacrifice of all those who lived through World War II and survived the Holocaust. In the process, the Kremlin is detracting from critically important global efforts to combat antisemitism and is instead propagating one of antisemitism’s most insidious forms, Holocaust distortion. With antisemitism on the rise around the world, it is imperative for all to call out this particularly pernicious kind of Russian disinformation,” the US Department of State wrote.