Russia takes loyal foreign bloggers to occupied territories to legitimize occupation – CCD
Russia has organized yet another propaganda press tour to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, involving foreign journalists and bloggers loyal to the Kremlin. The Center for Countering Disinformation believes the purpose of such trips is to create a distorted picture of the situation in the territories seized by Russia for foreign audiences.
According to Censor.NET, the Center for Countering Disinformation stated this.
According to the Center for Media and Democracy, the trip was organized as part of the Russian propaganda project "Foreign Journalists for Russia." This is already the 13th such press tour organized by outlets linked to Russian propagandist Zakhar Prilepin.
This time, the group included 13 people from countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the European Union, and the United States.
The foreigners were taken to the trauma unit, where injured children are being treated; a roundtable discussion was organized for them with students from a local university; and they were shown the locations used by Russian propaganda.
The participants in the press tour also met with Denis Pushilin, the head of the occupation administration in the occupied part of the Donetsk region, who spoke to them about the alleged "development of the Donbas."
The Center for Public Diplomacy emphasizes that such staged visits are intended to paint a picture for foreign audiences of a supposedly "peaceful life" in the temporarily occupied territories and to create the impression that the international community supports the Russian occupation.
According to the Center’s assessment, enlisting foreign bloggers also allows Moscow to spread narratives favorable to the Kremlin in countries of the Global South and the West through so-called alternative sources.
"Such press tours are planned information operations designed to legitimize the occupation of Ukrainian territory and divert the world's attention from the war crimes committed by the Russian Federation's army," the Center for Public Diplomacy stated.
