Mariupol massacre blame game: another epic fail of Russian propaganda
Horrific rocket attacks by Russian insurgents in Ukraine have left 30 people dead and over 100 injured in the city of Mariupol. Kremlin continues to deny its direct involvement, in spite of a growing body of information about numerous Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine, as well as sophisticated Russian weaponry used by the so-called “rebels” in their attacks. Russian paratroopers, captured in Ukraine, revealed the use of misleading uniforms that enable members of the Russian military to covertly operate within Ukraine. These techniques, also known as “masquerades” or false flag operations, were common under Soviet military doctrine. Soviet and Russian commandos were sent into Afghanistan and Chechnya, posing as locals.
Another front of Russian aggression is the country’s notorious propaganda machinery, which aids the Kremlin in its efforts to obfuscate the facts and spread disinformation. One common technique of the Russian mainstream media is boasting about the offensive mounted by Russia-funded “rebels,” but immediately shifting the blame to the Ukrainian military whenever terrorist activities cause mass casualties of civilians. This strategy was previously used in Russia’s coverage of the downing of Malaysia Airlines jet MH17 by Russian separatists in Ukraine. After touting the admissions from “the rebels” about downing yet another Ukrainian jet, Russian mainstream media abruptly changed their story once it was clear that Russian terrorists shot down the civilian airliner.
