Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Kremlin has been trying in vain to undermine the unity of the Ukrainian state by provoking regional separatism, linguistic and religious maps, and even class divisions. Now, Russian special services are trying to use General Zaluzhny’s dismissal to deepen the social split, and pro-Russian trolls and emotionally charged Ukrainians have begun to inflate the resignation of the Ukrainian ex-commander-in-chief to the extent of a “betrayal” that “it’s time to go to Kyiv.” And even the appointment of Valeriy Zaluzhnyi as ambassador to the UK did not ease public tensions, but is perceived as an exile of a dangerous opponent of Zelenskyy (despite the unexpected mutual consent to such an appointment).
Among the Kremlin’s strategies to provoke a split among Ukrainians, one of the most widespread, oddly enough, was the reliance on class divisions – the replication of stories that only the poor are being mobilized, and that the rich have “all paid off.” In fact, there are plenty of representatives of political elites, businessmen, and members of their families in the Armed Forces, but this is not widely spread by social media bots.
Одна з останніх російських проплачених реклам у фейсбуці зображає схему “свої та чужі”, у якій Залужного начебто підтримують відомі патріотичні політики та проукраїнські західні лідери, а Зеленського – Безугла та дискредитовані “слуги народу”. At the same time, a fake was spread that Zaluzhny had allegedly joined the European Solidarity party, and Kremlin bots even published his “party ticket.” Undoubtedly, Valeriy Zaluzhny has nothing to do with this campaign, but Moscow does not ask for anyone’s consent to sow enmity between Ukrainians. Against the backdrop of the problems of the Armed Forces, the Kremlin is trying to spread the Zaluzhny case as much as possible to foment conflicts between the government and the opposition, and especially in the Ukrainian army.
The Kremlin is taking advantage of the difficult situation of Ukraine, which is experiencing a decline in support from Washington, and throwing into the information space the thesis that all our difficulties are allegedly due to the fact that “the incompetent authorities fired a professional combat general because they were jealous of his success.” The public does not know whether there is a grain of truth here, and some comments by Western journalists about the president’s ambition complement this information. Under these conditions, it will be harder for Syrsky to make decisions, as his detractors and Russian bot farms will immediately brand them as “preparations for treason.” With such theses, they are trying to impose on us the idea that Ukraine’s victory and independence are “threatened” by the president and the commander-in-chief, so “they must be stopped before it is too late.”
The most uneducated voters are targeted by the an absurd disinformation thesis that allegedly “Jew Zelensky and “Russian” Syrsky” are planning to bury Ukrainians, and the only Ukrainian Zaluzhny who stood in their way was fired and sent as far away as possible. And behind all of this is the West, which is pushing us to continue the war to the last Ukrainian instead of peace with Russia (i.e. peace through surrender!). And America is not helping us on purpose to exterminate the Ukrainian people in meaty assaults and seize our most fertile land in the world. And why should an ordinary Ukrainian mobilize if his death is part of a “sinister plan” of Western puppeteers?” The Ukrainian citizen, intimidated by mobilization scandals mixed with fakes, is being pushed to think that it is better to either sabotage the draft notices or march on Kyiv to overthrow Zelensky and “save Ukraine.” Among domestic conspiracy theorists, this is the picture of reality that already dominates, where the West, not Russia, is portrayed as our enemy.
The absolute coincidence of such nonsense with Russian propaganda theses that have long called on Ukrainian soldiers to help the Kremlin overthrow the current government and seize Kyiv is being ignored. As well as the catastrophic consequences of such a scenario for Ukrainian pawns, whom Moscow wants to use instead of Russian “chmobiks” by using covert influence methods, forcing Ukrainians to fight Ukrainians. After all, the families of the dead Russians should be given a Lada Kalina, the Buryats should be given a bag of sugar, but the Ukrainians who will do their dirty work instead of the Russians should not be paid anything. You can only stock up on popcorn and vodka to watch Ukrainians kill each other in an internal confrontation.
Unfortunately, the government, while broadcasting victorious drone strikes on Russian territory in the United News, pays insufficient attention to reasoned refutation of dangerous propaganda theses that are becoming more and more widespread. Corruption scandals, which are often exposed by state law enforcement agencies, and the unresolved problem of non-transparent aspects of mobilization only fuel the conspiracy theories of oppressed citizens.
Ukrainian history has had its share of heroes, but not enough statesmen. Ukrainians defeated the Muscovites at Konotop, but then failed to maintain unity and avoid anti-Hetman uprisings raised by folk heroes. We won many battles in 1919, but lost our statehood due to a lack of allies and national unity. Today, Moscow is once again relying on “Ukrainian contractors” to seize Ukraine and is not afraid to strike at the unity of Ukrainians, even from the “patriotic” side.
Author: Valeriy Maydanyuk
