Russia. Young women behind the Kremlin’s propaganda machine

Daria Dukina, 29, daughter of a leading Kremlin ideologue, supporter of Russian imperialism and invasion. Ukraine Alexandra Dukina is one of the many young activists involved in campaign activities.

Among them was a 26-year-old youth Maria Katasonova – Longtime pro-Kremlin activist and Putin admirer.

In 2015 Katasonova, aged 19, became an assistant to a Duma deputy of a Kremlin party. Russiaand a supporter of the National Liberation Movement (NOD) with the slogan “Fatherland, Freedom, Putin”. He is very active on social media and tries to shape the attitudes of young Russians.

“Members of the NOD, whose admirer is Katasonova, believe that the West is at war with Russia and that it wants to destroy Russia, and War in Ukraine This is the beginning” writes “Build”.

Another influential woman in Putin’s campaign apparatus is a 37-year-old Russian TV anchor for the state-run Russia-1 channel. Olga Skabiyeva. Known for her provocative and accusatory style of hosting, the presenter co-hosts the most popular Russian political talk show “60 Minutes” with her husband Yevgeny Bobo. Due to his distinctive metallic voice and outrageous appearance, critics call him “Putin’s iron puppet”.

Skabiejewa, commenting on the war in Ukraine, continued to call for increased Russian offensives and called on Moscow to “complete demilitarization. For this“He is also known for disparaging Ukrainian politicians and the Russian opposition. On February 28, he was added to the EU sanctions list.

Another woman devoted to Putin is 42 years old Margarita Simonyan – Head of the Russian news agency “Rosija Tsevotnia” (formerly “Russia Today”), which has long been considered a central figure in Russian propaganda.

Simonyan has been on the EU sanctions list since the outbreak of the Russian war in Ukraine in February 2022. A US State Department report in January showed “close ties between Russian officials and Russia Today” and the Kremlin’s spread of disinformation and propaganda.

In a 2015 interview with Time magazine, Simonian admitted that “he has a phone on his desk with direct communication to the Kremlin.” “Of course, if Russia goes to war, we are on its side,” he told the Russian newspaper Kommersant in 2012. After Daria Dukina’s death, Simonyan announced in a telegram that “Russia should attack Ukraine’s decision-making centers.”

“Compared to Dukina and Katasonova, Simonyan is considered a more influential figure, especially among older audiences with nostalgic memories of the former Soviet Union,” Bild points out.

However, the leader of the Russian campaign is 46 years old Maria Zakharova – Spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov. “As Lavrov’s chief liar, he does his job reliably.” Zakharova repeatedly used the story of the alleged genocide of Ukraine against the Russians. “She talks about the planned destruction of the population, and all Ukrainians are ‘Nazis’ to her,” Bild says.

As the newspaper recalls, in March 2022, Zakharova said that “Russia did not start the war, but it will end” and that the crime against Busa was not an act of Russian soldiers, but “conducted by the West” and a provocation. America and NATO stand behind it.

Zakharova was also added to the EU sanctions list on February 23, the day before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, because of its key role in the Russian propaganda apparatus. Zakharova “has been a central figure in government propaganda encouraging the deployment of Russian armed forces in Ukraine, supporting policies and actions that undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence,” it argued.

“It is no coincidence that young women are often at the forefront of the global information war. Russia has always been known for using women as agents because they attract a larger audience and can better identify with the younger population.” – He believes Olga Latman, American analyst, CNN quoted.

“The main job of propagandists is to support Kremlin spokespeople and spread Kremlin-friendly content on Western blogs and websites,” Bildt explains. “The aim of such people is to sow mistrust in the governments of Western countries, to create divisions and splits in Western societies. All this is to spread Putin’s imperialist illusions” – insists Dinamani.

And, he adds, it is dangerous for many readers of such websites to overlook the fact that they are Russian-controlled sites because they are based on Western formats and feature articles written by authors from many countries around the world.