Russian Propaganda Battle Underway In Ukraine As Possible Invasion Looms

deadline.com:

Editors Note: In Hollie McKay’s latest special report for Deadline, the veteran foreign affairs correspondent and Only Cry for the Living: Memos from Inside the ISIS Battlefield author is in eastern Ukraine, where Vladimir Putin’s forces loom just over the border as Russia threatens a possible invasion.Amid fears that Russia is preparing to invade neighboring Ukraine any day now — echoed by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who indicated in a call with the White House over the weekend that Wednesday would be “the day,” (though he has since walked it back) — Moscow has also turned up the drama dial, complete with the Kremlin putting on perpetual propaganda plays as part of its media manipulation mechanism.For Ukrainians trying to manage the nagging uncertainty, its another layer to the seemingly endless cross-border battle.“We are getting very worried about the Russian focus on propaganda,” said a high-ranking official, who spoke with me in Kyiv on the condition of anonymity.“For example, just a few days ago, Ukrainian police (arrested) a group who tried to make some actions during a peaceful demonstration in front of the presidential building,” he added. “These so-called protesters had a gallon of blood; one was dressed in a medical gown.

It seemed they tried to make a movie showing one person laying down and medical staff desperately trying to help them.”According to the insider, the theatrical aim was to show that Ukrainian police had turned on their own people.“The authorities find three different groups of people in the crowd doing similar actions,” the presidential affiliate notes. “Furthermore, every few weeks, our intelligence is seeing Russian troops erecting a mobile hospital or bringing in blood.