Topline
Russian state media latched onto a dubious plot to assassinate some of the most famous Russians tied to the country’s state-run media operations Monday, a plot President Vladimir Putin alleged was hatched by Ukraine and the U.S. in the latest example of Russian propaganda backed by suspect evidence spreading wildly.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks of the alleged plot against Russian journalists in Moscow on … [+]
Key Facts
According to the Interfax news agency, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested six Russian citizens Monday in a plot to kill Vladimir Solovyov, a prominent pro-Putin firebrand television host and journalist, as well as several other famous Russian journalists including the editor-in-chief of RT, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news service.
Putin said during televised remarks Monday the plan was devised by Ukrainian security agencies in conjunction with the Central Intelligence Agency, the state-run Sputnik news agency quoted him as saying.
The Security Service of Ukraine denied its involvement in the plot in a statement to Reuters, saying it has “no plans to assassinate V. Solovyev” and saying the story was fabricated by Russia.
The Kremlin has previously pushed baseless theories as part of its information operations during the war, such as falsely claiming the U.S. is funding biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine.
Images of paraphernalia seized from the alleged conspirators showed swastikas and a photo of Adolf Hitler further call into question the plot’s legitimacy, as pointed out by BBC researcher Francis Scarr, given Russia’s consistent and overt aim to portray Ukraine as being overrun by neo-Nazis.
Key Background
Russia’s media landscape is nearly entirely state-controlled after a law was passed in March making any reporting on the invasion of Ukraine outside the official government approved narrative a crime punishable with up to 15 years of jail time. Last week, Solyvov attracted significant attention for warning Russia will “show no mercy” toward NATO and the rest of Europe once it concludes its invasion of Ukraine during a clip aired on Russian television translated by the Daily Beast.
Contra
Putin said Monday the alleged plot to kill Russian journalists was evidence of a “policy of terror,” but Russia ranks as one of the most dangerous countries for reporters to operate due to restrictive laws and suspected state-sanctioned violence. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 58 journalists have been murdered or died in the line of duty in Russia since 1992.
Tangent
The Kremlin’s careful control of the war narrative in Russia has extended to classrooms, as the Russian Education Ministry announced last week that Russia’s official justification for its invasion of Ukraine will soon become an official part of schools’ curricula across the country.
Further Reading
Putin accuses West of ‘terror’, tells prosecutors to be tough (Reuters)
The Kremlin—And Putin’s—New Propaganda Focus: Russian Youth (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2022/04/25/putin-alleges-ukraine-and-cia-are-plotting-to-kill-russian-journalists-in-latest-conspiracy-theory/