‘Our Russian City!’ Propaganda about life in occupied Mariupol

Von WOM

In Mariupol, russische Influencer porträtieren das Leben unter Besatzung als blühend. Einblick in die Propaganda und die Rekonstruktion in einer Stadt im Fokus des Kremls.
In Mariupol, Russian influencers portray life under crew as blooming. Insight into the propaganda and the reconstruction in a city in the focus of the Kremlin. (Symbolbild/DNAT)

Three years after the brutal 86-day siege, Russia has control over Mariupol taken over. Now the Kremlin uses a more subtle power strategy to maintain its influence on the Ukrainian port city: social media and influencers.

The role of influencers in Mariupol

An investigation by CNN has shown that residents of the occupied city, including school children, are trained in new media programs and "blogger schools" which have connections to the Russian state. Although the followers and the range of these local influencers are low compared to prominent personalities, experts emphasize that Cologne voices are needed for effective advertising for life under Russian rule.

propaganda or reality?

"Take a look at what Russia is doing in Mariupol," said Pavel Karbovsky, a teacher at one of the blogger schools, in a current TikTok video that highlights the construction of new residential buildings. "Wait, you build, don't tear down ... this is Mariupol, our Russian city!" Karbovsky belongs to a growing number of content creators that draw a picture of the renewal in the four Ukrainian regions, which in 2022 from Russia illegally annexed -Donetsk, Luhansk, Cherson and Saporischschja.

support from the occupation authorities

But the Russian -supported occupation authorities have actively encouraged creative people like Karbovsky to report on the restoration of the "freed" territories, including in official meetings. In January, Karbovsky belonged to a group of content creators that were invited to meet Denis Pushilin, the head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) supported by Russia. In an explanation on Telegram, he emphasized that he put on the group to spread the message that the eastern Donbass region is "revived".

The reality behind the restoration

An analysis of CNN showed that via a dozen profiles of local influencers, the Moscow promote Russian project in Mariupol on social media, are partly openly pro-Russian and blame the Ukraine for suffering in the region. Although your target group is usually modest - from 3,000 to 36,000 fans on TikTok - your content that concentrates on the reconstruction can achieve hundreds of thousands of calls. However, the context is missing in their videos why this restoration is necessary.

The siege of Mariupol, once known as a hub for trade and industry, was one of the most fatal and most destructive clashes since Moscow's extensive invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago. According to estimates of the United Nations, Russian attacks and about 350,000 people had to be from the original population of round 430,000 flee. In a recent interview, the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj said that 20,000 civilians killed, although the number is impossible to verify.

The war of information and the countermeasures of Ukraine

"Moscow tries to interrupt the flow of information about the terrible destruction that the Russian army has brought," said Ihor Solovey, director of the Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security of the Ukrainian government, in written comments. In order to counteract this, Ukraine tries to "transmit even more facts about the crimes of the occupiers", and added that "there are more than enough to refute all Russian fake news about the 'beautiful life' under the crew."

Putin's strategies for Mariupol

For Moscow, control over Mariupol remains a strategic priority that is significantly invested. "We pay all our attention to Mariupol," said Russian President Vladimir Putin during his annual press conference in December. In March 2023 he undertook a staged

The destruction remains visible

Although the construction is obviously continuing, the analysis of CNN uses satellite images, interviews with residents and videos on social media that there are still considerable destruction. Many who lost their home in 2022 were not housed again, and the quality of new apartments is often inadequate. Residents also report that Russian authorities confiscate the houses of Ukrainians who have left the city and provide them with others.

"You created a kind of Potemkin picture ... But people don't live in many houses," said a resident of Mariupol and referred to the false villages that Grigori Potemkin had built in Russia in the 18th century to impress Katharina the big one. He spoke anonymously with CNN for fear of reprisals.

training of new votes

In September, an organization called Donbass Media Center (DMC) opened its “blogger school” in Mariupol. This offers free two -week courses that aim to convey a technical foundation in skills such as films and editing, as well as an understanding of how to become popular online and earn money. Similar courses have already taken place in Donetsk and Luhansk, followed by another in Melitopol, in the part of Saporischschja occupied by Russia. Karbovsky was one of the teachers.

"I know how to generate calls and create content, so I was invited to teach with children between the ages of 16 and 22," he said to CNN. Neither Karbovsky nor the school's coordinator wanted to communicate with who finances the program, but it seems that it has the tacit support of the Russian government.