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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Andrew Roth in Moscow

‘Don’t call it a war’ – propaganda filters the truth about Ukraine on Russian media

Vladimir Putin speaks about authorising a military operation in Ukraine's Donbas region during a televised address on Russian state TV on Thursday.
Vladimir Putin speaks about authorising a military operation in Ukraine's Donbas region during a televised address on Russian state TV on Thursday. Photograph: Reuters

The Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine has played through a filter of propaganda here in Moscow, where the authorities appear concerned that ordinary Russians will be disgusted by scenes of missiles striking Kyiv and have sought to cut off the public from that uncomfortable truth.

To do so, the Russian government has taken extraordinary steps by throttling Facebook and threatening to shut independent media outlets such as TV Rain and the newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which published an edition in Russian and Ukrainian this week with the banner headline “Russia is bombing Ukraine”.

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