Russian Media Monitoring Report, August 19-25, 2024
Durov, Durov, blah blah blah.During last week Russian propagandists were worshiping Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram. Read more in our new monitoring:
1. The keys to Telegram:
Russian propaganda is exploiting the detention of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France, framing it as a politically motivated attack on freedom of speech and an act of Russophobia. They present Durov as a victim of Western pressure, alleging that his detention is an attempt to force him to cooperate against Russia and control the Telegram platform, which is crucial for Russian communication, including military use.
2. Orthodox in the catacombs:
Russian propaganda is attacking Ukraine's new law regulating religious organizations with ties to Russia, claiming it persecutes the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). They frame this as a Western-backed assault on Orthodoxy, comparing it to historical anti-Christian repressions, and use the situation to justify further aggression against Ukraine.
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Context and Methodology:
This summary is based on analyzing approximately 500,000 news items from around 1,000 Russian websites provided by SemanticForce.
The content was assessed using an algorithm that identifies thematic relevance, mainly focusing on topics related to the war and its implications for Russia.
For detailed analysis and further information, refer to our comprehensive report.
How censorship in Telegram works in favor of the Kremlin
Russian opposition journalist-in-exile Andrei Grigoriev, who supports Ukraine, described examples of how shadow censorship on Telegram makes decisions in favor of the Kremlin on his Facebook page. Read the translation here.