Russian propaganda is often perceived as a sophisticated and powerful machine

 

Russian propaganda is often perceived as a sophisticated and powerful machine, but in reality, it is far from it. The case of the so-called People's Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine is a prime example of how Russian propaganda efforts have failed to achieve their goals.

In 2014, after Russia's annexation of Crimea, these two regions in eastern Ukraine declared independence from Ukraine, leading to an ongoing conflict. Initially, the propaganda efforts of the separatists were ideological, with Pavel Gubarev, a Ukrainian-born former neo-Nazi, proclaiming the State of Novorossiya, which refers to Ukrainian territories previously part of the Russian Empire. However, this concept lacked popularity and potency, and Gubarev's project eventually died out.

After Gubarev's departure, the leadership of the Donbas Republics fell into the hands of Igor Plotnitskiy and Aleksandr Zakharchenko, who lacked the charisma and ideological vision to justify the separatist cause. Moscow remained non-committal in providing justification for the Republics' separation from Ukraine, leaving the leadership to simply speak ill of Ukraine and the "Kyiv Regime" without offering a coherent alternative.

Research analyzing over 80,000 news articles published by separatist media outlets between 2014 and 2018 revealed a repetitive and unoriginal narrative, delegitimizing Ukraine's new government and portraying the US as an evil puppet master. However, this effort failed to sow division among Ukrainians, and instead, the Euromaidan revolution and subsequent events catalyzed a cohesive, civic Ukrainian identity.

The Donbas leadership had a rich history and cultural heritage to draw upon to build ideological support, but they failed to do so. The region has a long history of autonomy and has been home to entrepreneurs, anarchists, and criminals, providing a unique identity narrative. However, the separatist news outlets failed to craft a coherent story about who they were and who they were opposing, with a few attempts at doing so being more silly than serious.

In conclusion, Russian propaganda efforts in Ukraine have been far from sophisticated, with the Donbas leadership failing to justify their existence and build a coherent ideological narrative. Despite having a rich cultural heritage to draw upon, they squandered the opportunity to build support and instead resorted to repetitive and unoriginal attacks on Ukraine and the West.