In russia and parts of ukraine, the narratives that have been most successful are the ones that frame russia as a protector. The pride came first. Playing off the pride has engaged people who, like putten, felt humiliated by the end of the cold war. A well crafted narrative can defy space and time. We saw the mstalens cult come back. And this is what the Russian public was basically foresped for over a decade.
This weekend, we discuss the power of disinformation, and how Russia has been using it in Ukraine. We are joined by Natalia Antelava, who has reported in Ukraine and Eastern Europe for years. Natalia is editor-in-chief of the popular news website called Coda Story, which focuses on global digital crises, and has been closely covering Putin’s disinformation machine in Ukraine and beyond. We step back and examine the narratives Russia has used since 2014 to confuse, distort, and spread lies.
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Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. Email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links and mentions from the episode:
–Key coverage of the war in Ukraine is free to read: https://www.ft.com/content/77ab8dcf-cb02-4e57-aff0-85c8a84f5a1f
–Coda Story, Natalia’s news website: https://www.codastory.com/
-Coda’s Disinformation Matters newsletter: https://www.codastory.com/newsletters/disinfo-matters-newsletters/
– Natalia is on Twitter @antelava. You can also keep up with FT coverage by following @financialtimes on Instagram and Twitter.
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The first US FT Weekend Festival is on Saturday, May 7 in Washington, DC. To attend virtually or in person, buy tickets at http://ft.weekendfestival.com – use the discount code FTFriends2022 for 10% off.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner
Clips this week from Euronews, CNN and the BBC
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