RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2014. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
"The first casualty, when war
comes, is the truth," U.S. Senator Hiram Johnson is reported to have
said as America entered into World War I.
In Ukraine and in Russia the information war is already in full swing.
Since protesters ousted former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in
late February and parliament voted in an interim government in Kyiv,
Russia has fought hard to delegitimize the new authorities.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the overthrow a coup and Russian
media has relentlessly hammered home the notion that those now in power
are nationalists and "fascists."
Russian media and officials also say the ethnic Russian minority, which
makes up roughly 17 percent of Ukraine's population, is under threat.
And Moscow has used this claim as a basis for sending troops into the
country (although it denies their presence).
This blog will attempt to unravel the daily spin coming from all sides.
First, let's briefly address some of the major claims that have already
been propagated and discussed ad nauseam.
Q: Are there Russian troops in Crimea?
A: Yes
Putin says the 15,000 gun-wielding men wearing uniforms without insignia
are homegrown self-defense forces who bought their outfits at local
shops. They aren't. Journalists have photographed columns of Russian
military trucks with Russian plates. Also, at least one soldier has inadvertently admitted to being Russian.
Q: Are violent "nationalist thugs" now in power and roaming Kyiv streets?
A: No, but…
Russian media and political leaders have wildly exaggerated claims of
far-right extremists controlling events in Kyiv. And reports from the
ground say things are generally peaceful in Ukraine's capital.
That said, Right Sector, the far-right collective of nationalist
militants to which Moscow has directed much of its scorn, was
instrumental in the street fighting that eventually led to Yanukovych's
overthrow. And the nationalist Svoboda party, whose leader, Oleh
Tyahnybok, has made anti-Semitic statements in the past, has some positions in the new government.
But Right Sector has no Cabinet positions. And Svoboda's leaders have
toned down their rhetoric since winning seats in parliament two years
ago.
The leaders of the new government are also mainstream politicians and
relatively well-known entities. Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy
Yatsenyuk is something of a Euro-technocrat and leader of former Prime
Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) party. Interim
President Oleksandr Turchynov is also a leading member of Batkivshchyna
whose political career has been closely intertwined with Tymoshenko's.
Q: Are Russian-speaking citizens under attack?
A: No
Putin has said any intervention in Ukraine would be to protect the ethnic Russian minority.
There have been isolated reports, largely by Russian media, of attacks
on Russian protesters and one claim of censorship of Russian
journalists. This blog will investigate these claims in a follow-up post
but thus far there is no evidence of any real or coordinated attack on
Russian-speakers.
The new Ukrainian parliament did pass a law that would annul the right
of regions to recognize Russian as an official language, but this was
vetoed by interim Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov.
Finally, if you see something you'd like unspun, or disagree with this
blog's unspinning of events, let us know on Twitter using the hashtag
#UkraineUnspun. Also, feel free to comment at webteam@rferl.org
