Crafting Propaganda: Kremlin's Preparation of Conflict 'Correspondents' for Operations in Ukraine's Annexed Territories

In Russia, a Kremlin-backed digital academy is molding a cohort of conflict 'narrators' primed for deployment within the annexed regions of Ukraine. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) decries this fresh propaganda forge, aligning with the orchestrated suppression of autonomous journalists to obliterate avenues for impartial information dissemination, solidifying the Kremlin's prescribed narrative of the Ukrainian conflict.

Vladimir Putin's declaration in March 2022 of an "informational warfare" initiated the grooming of a legion of propagandists for missions within Ukraine's occupied territories. A recent snapshot shared on Vkontakte, Russia’s social media counterpart to Facebook, exhibited the inaugural class of the "War Correspondents’ School" ("Shkola Voenkora"), striking poses against the backdrop of a war-torn edifice in Ukrainian annexed lands. The 20 graduates from this novel online "journalistic" institution, providing tutelage in aligning with the Kremlin's stance, received their certifications on March 12.

The curriculum encompasses techniques for interviewing Russian military personnel, the intricacies of field reporting, and an internship amidst the conflict zone. Instruction is delivered by seasoned journalists from state-affiliated Russian media outlets such as RT, Ria Novosti, and the pro-Kremlin publication Izvestia, among whom prominent figures like Alexander Malkevich, the architect behind a media consortium in occupied territories, and Sergei Mardan, a contributor to the pro-government tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, hold sway. Mardan, indicted in Ukraine for "incitement to genocide," is among those imparting wisdom.

"The Kremlin is cultivating a fresh breed of 'war correspondents'—essentially a battalion of propagandists—to operate within Ukrainian territories under Russian control. Concurrently, Russian forces relentlessly muzzle dissenting voices, compelling independent journalists to either flee or face imprisonment, while hunting down non-collaborative elements in annexed regions. RSF denounces these tactics, engineered to obliterate credible journalism and pluralistic media ecosystems, thereby imposing the sanctioned Kremlin narrative.

Established by Vera Kironenko, a 26-year-old Russian entrepreneur and journalism alumna, the online academy received substantial backing, nearly 100,000 euros in 2023, from Russia’s presidential fund for cultural initiatives. Situated in Tomsk, over 3,500 km east of Moscow, Kironenko vigorously promoted the institution across social media platforms. Following its December 2023 launch, the academy claimed over 1,000 enrolled students, extending registration for subsequent cohorts despite the scheduled conclusion of Kremlin funding by April's end.

This educational venture marks the latest augmentation to Russia's expansive propaganda apparatus. In September 2023, RSF censured the instruction in "journalistic vocations" furnished at the Mediatopol center, bolstered by Russian occupying forces, situated in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Melitopol.