War for brains: How Ukrainians can win Putin's propaganda army in occupied territories

The international human rights organization "Reporters without borders" (RSF) has sharply condemned the funding by the Russian authorities of the online school of military "correspondents" to work in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories and called it a "factory of propagandists". In the fact and why official Kiev should do everything possible to ensure that this so -called factory reduces the extent of the influence of its toxic products, the focus was understood.

The fact that Moscow is actively forming a new generation of "military correspondents", and in reality - the army of propagandists for work, in particular in the occupied Ukrainian territories is referred to in the released statement of "reporters without borders". "In March 2022, Vladimir Putin stated that he would wage a consistent information war.

Special attention of RSF analysts is paid to the fact that one of the photos published recently on the Russian social network "VKontakte", "School of Military Correspondents" presents their first issue, where 20 students who have passed free training are posing near a partially destroyed building on the occupied territories of Ukraine.

It is noted separately that during this kind of courses of entrants are taught to interview with Russian soldiers, and the speaker, among others, is the famous Russian propagandist Sergey Martan, whom the Security Service of Ukraine has been suspected of "calls for genocide" and "denial of armed aggression. against Ukraine.

" The online school financed by the Russian Presidential Fund of Cultural Initiatives, she declared shortly after the start of her work on December 1, 2023, which has more than 1,000 students, "reporters" Reporters without borders ", strictly condemning a similar kind of practice of the Russian Federation.

Experts with whom focus spoke are convinced that despite the full -scale war, Ukraine is quite able to develop and put into operation mechanisms capable of stifling the voice of Russian propaganda in temporarily occupied territories. "Today we have a tremendous problem with Putin information" troops ". It is an extremely serious threat. If you see, for example, propaganda materials that were shot in occupied Kherson, one of their films had about a hundred participants of different levels.

The number of people was already exposed to Russian propaganda at that time! ” The political scientist and ex-People's Deputy Oles Doni are indignant in conversation with focus. Recalling that the famous writer Vladimir Vakulenko killed two collaborators, Oles Doni notes the following: “That is, we have to understand that these were local people who took their weapons and kill Ukrainians, although they were recently citizens of Ukraine.

that we need to pay more attention to the attractiveness of the Ukrainian democratic project, its inclusivity, contrasting it with a authoritarian Russian project. Provision of consular services for Ukrainian citizens, unfortunately, the enemy will actively use it. Starting from the above, the expert stated that in the current situation, the monopolization of the information resource would not help, because it is "about the attractiveness of the Ukrainian project as such.

" "This is an important question, because now a very serious struggle for the minds is ongoing, and this is first and foremost a competition To go to citizens who are in temporarily occupied territories? Values ​​and maximize them on all platforms, "Oles Doni sums up.

In turn, the political scientist, head of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine Alexei Koshel, in conversation with focus, notes the following: "Russia and Putin have been forming effective networks for brainwashing our citizens both in the occupied territories and not occupied for decades.

How to fight it? To be an extremely large set of decisions, from reviewing the format of the telecommunication, ending with the creation of special information tools for consistent work or with individual occupied territories, or even with individual citizens. " Work on this site, according to the expert, should begin with the appointment of a "full" Minister of Culture and Information Policy, "which will offer its clear and systemic vision.

" "As for me, the policy of the new minister should be formed on the basis of several steps. Step one is the maximum restriction or prohibition of the Telegram network in Ukraine. Automatically refuse to give up the format of a single TV, which will not only restore but also increase confidence in Our television. The third important step is the creation of individual television products for the occupied territories, " - said Alexei Koshel.

He also emphasizes that if we have the opportunity to punch the steppe Crimea to Simferopol inclusive, then there is also an opportunity to create a separate TV channel for the occupied regions. "Here is an example of Georgia, which at one time created a separate TV channel for the occupied South Ossetia. This is despite the fact that all South Ossetia, including Tshinvalva, numbered only about 60-70 thousand inhabitants.

And even for that, a separate TV channel was created-yes, not of the best quality, but this work was still effective enough, "Alexei Koshel notes. In general, "systematically analyzing information materials coming from the occupied territories", the political scientist concluded that "we need to be great optimists in the attitude of Ukrainian citizens.

" "I at one time, namely in September 2023, the figure that the occupying power violated about 500 proceedings against the citizens of Ukraine in Crimea for their public statements against the actions of the Russian authorities and the Russian army. That is, to calculate, it turns out that from The beginning of a large -scale war is actually in the format of every day, the case was raised against Ukrainian citizens.

Only administrative responsibility, but also serious problems with the FSB, " - emphasizes the expert. In his opinion, it is a serious signal that shows that there are a large number of patriots "even in the format of ten years of occupation" in the occupied territory. "In general, I believe that the percentage of pro -Ukrainian citizens in the occupied territories is high enough, and they need to work hard with them," Alexei Koshel sums up.

Meanwhile, the Russian propaganda is currently active in the split of Ukraine, trying to divide our fellow citizens into those who left abroad, escaping from the war, and those who remained stated by the head of the Center for Combating Misinformation (CPD) at NSDC Andrey Kovalenko. "This is a very dangerous situation.