From Hermitage to music bands: Here’s the true reach of propaganda that makes Russians love war

The latest Russian art exhibitions abroad are a powerful cultural offensive, one can call it a kind of a "special operation". Many don't like it, but Russians are advancing, and no one can be allowed to deter their advance.

This is roughly what the long-term head of the Russian Hermitage, Mikhail Piotrovsky, recently said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Russian propaganda has never been limited exclusively to what politicians, media and pundits say to achieve the goals set by the Kremlin.

It actually involves mouthpieces from various fields, who simultaneously – and in a controlled manner – say what's needed to be said. Each of them uses the arguments that their audience would understand best.

This is how anti-Ukrainian and anti-Western messages are spread by writers and soldiers, athletes and scientists, astrologers and priests. All of them are part of the genocide against the Ukrainian people, which is happening as a result of massive propaganda.

The initiative How Not to Become a Vegetable, has created a database of 1,800 Russian propagandists and public figures who support the war in Ukraine.

Apart from big names like Margarita Simonyan, it includes representatives of 15 industries involved in the information war against Ukraine and against the West.

These are not just employees of the propaganda media (629 of them are in the database), the list also includes writers, singers, actors, pro-Kremlin talk show experts, bloggers, military personnel, politicians, athletes, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, etc.

In this version of the database, we focused on those who shape the information field of Russian propaganda.

The consequent versions will also include the followers of the so-called "Russian world" and "esotericists" who actively help Russian propaganda.

How does Russia’s propaganda really work

The power of Russian propaganda is in the combination of television and social media. These two channels help "domesticate" the war, as the state tries to make it part of Russians' everyday life. Dr Gregory Asmolov from King's College London talked about this in his research.

The involvement of well-known people from various fields – who tell their audience basically "how to love their family" – is a key tool for this "domestication". For this, Russian propaganda uses a wide range of information channels – from state-owned TV channels to social media profiles of opinion leaders.

Telegram, a messenger app, is starting to play an important role, too. After Russia's regulator Roskomnadzor blocked Facebook and Instagram, many Russians started using it.

Television is also evolving: Along with the classic propaganda shows hosted by Vladimir Solovyov and Olga Skabeyeva, a wide range of other formats has appeared. Social media, for example, has become a frequent source of information and a tool for propagandists.

Talk show "Prekrasnaya Rossiya Bu-Bu-Bu" is a good example. In it, hosts and guests informally discuss topical issues and the latest news. The talk show's segment called "Byesit" (means "annoys" in Russian) is run by Russian designer Artemy Lebedev, and it has become a continuation of his traditional posts on social media, which traditionally begin with the words "more than anything in the world it annoys me that..."

Russian propaganda does not ignore the young audience, which hasn't become attached to TV shows yet and, on social media, consumes only entertainment content.

But they are brainwashed, too. Children's parties at kindergartens and graduation ceremonies – as well as photo albums to mark them – are military-themed. Kindergarten teachers spend hours explaining to kids why the "special military operation" had to begin, while schools hold entire classes to explain the same. 

When the full-scale invasion started, an animation film appeared, explaining to children why Russia "had to" attack Ukraine, which did not want to be friends with Russia and insulted others.

This way, Russians begin to live in an information vacuum.

Art, music, celebrity gossip, humor, sports – everywhere the Russians are subjected to the same informational background. The result: More and more Russians are dragged into the war with Ukraine. And often it isn't about actually firing bullets, it's about waging the information war.

Oksana Moroz