Images include TikTokker restimka It can be seen taking a selfie in front of large letters in the colors of the Russian flag forming the name Mariupol and visiting a zoo. His colleague does the same with a wrecked tram and is photographed among the broken glass.
Others are dressed in army uniforms, ride a tank and wave merrily or distribute food to the townspeople. And in between, Russia was hailed as the great “liberator” of Ukraine.
Moscow appears to be using influencers as an alternative propaganda channel, in addition to state television, among others. There have always been declarations of war in Ukraine, a distorted image of the invasion and the horror of war.
The photos are reminiscent of a similar operation in war-torn Syria several years ago. According to research conducted by the American “Washington Post”, the regime has lured the country’s influencers to polish its bad image. Mainly interested in beautiful opinions and positive stories, they painted – “out of naivety or opportunism” – a picture of Syria in which there was no trace of war for their thousands of followers. If there were any ruins to be seen, they would have been used as a great backdrop.
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