This call to arms from a Russian website seems to be successfully recruiting ordinary Russians – 28,000 of them according to a Sky News survey – to take part in the information war. It is just one example of how one of the Russian audiences is playing its part in the battle for control of the narrative surrounding the Ukrainian conflict. Other examples include the recruitment of a “cyber army” of hackers and the establishment of a seemingly basic organization to monitor Ukraine’s war crimes. At their heart they all have a common goal – to justify Russia’s actions and to counter the West’s claims of Russian atrocities. Image: Images posted on the “defense of the truth” website depicting a child supporting Russian troops. “Defending the truth” The site, called Zanami Pravda, which translates as “defending the truth,” asks people to upload pro-Russian content to share on the Internet in order to “contribute to Russia’s victory.” According to the site, the 28,000 people who have uploaded content have contributed more than 100,000 images and videos to the site, a number that has risen sharply in the past week. Those who share “the best patriotic content” on the site enter contests to win music and pay-TV services. The latest winners were announced at an office of the All-Russian Popular Front, a political coalition led by Vladimir Putin. The uploaded content includes videos and images that must be shared with the so-called “antifiks” who are supposed to demystify Western media narratives. This includes allegations that the massacre in Bucha, where the bodies of civilians were found on the street after the occupation of the city by Russian forces, was organized by Ukrainian forces. Image: The winners of the competition who have uploaded pro-Russian content are announced. Photo: Zanami Pravda War Crimes Monitoring Another seemingly key effort in this communication battle came under the banner of the “Court” project, whose name refers to the Nuremberg trials, where senior Nazis faced justice after World War II. Image: The name of the work of the Tribunal. The word in red translates to “court” or “trial” and is overlaid with images from the Nuremberg trials. The group has documented at least one possible war crime in Ukraine – a case in which a Ukrainian soldier appeared to shoot a Russian prisoner of war. They also found out the names of three Ukrainian soldiers believed to be involved in the incident and posted their details on the Internet. However, justice in this case seems to focus only on the Ukrainian forces, which are widely accused of criminal acts with little evidence. The project has created a deck of glossy cards “most wanted” – as the US Department of Defense did in the 2003 invasion of Iraq – to highlight Ukrainian personalities held responsible for war crimes. The image below shows President Volodymry Zelenskyy and former President Petro Poroshenko as two of the ace of the pack. Internet links from the Tribunal’s work also point to other ways in which people are encouraged to support the Russian effort. One points people in the direction of a group of hackers seeking to recruit people into a Russian “cyber army.” The cyber team is not only looking to recruit hackers, but also graphic designers and search engine optimization experts to help distribute their material. Why do they do it? Dissemination of information challenged by Western reports raises doubts in the minds of readers and viewers as to what they should believe. But it is not only the content of the information that is being shared, but also the reporting methods that are evolving in this war. The use of open source information in forensic investigations – using satellite imagery, geolocation and close-up video analysis to reveal what is happening – has become prominent in covering the war. But a popular pro-Russian Telegram channel, a social media site, is now using these techniques to make allegations that include suspicions about Boutsa’s massacre. While the allegations on this channel are tailored to the style of forensic research, they are often not supported by the evidence. The image below is an example where postings on the channel indicate that a cyclist caught on video by a drone being killed by Russian forces was working for Ukrainian forces. Image: “Criminal” analysis reported to the Telegram that questioned the murder of a cyclist in Bucha CNN confirmed that the person killed was Iryna Filkina, who was returning by bicycle from a mall trying to evacuate the city that day. Professor Charlie Beckett, director of the LSE’s multimedia think tank, Polis, believes that disseminating this material is a deliberate ploy to undermine confidence in reporting: “We tend to assume that our investigations and the use of forensic methods are to reveal things that people want to be covered up,” he said. “We thought these internet tools would help democratize, but authoritarian elements used them as well. It is honestly a trolling of Western journalists.” This tactic is not limited to a small corner of the Internet. In an interview with Sky News last week, Dmitry Peshkov, the Kremlin’s press secretary, challenged the satellite imagery used in Russia’s assessment of the Bucha assassination in much the same way as pro-Russian telegraph channels. Who wins the information war? Understanding whether these efforts successfully persuade the public may be difficult, but new research seems to show significant public support in Russia for the war. Dr. Philipp Chapkovski and Professor Max Schaub used a new research project to assess how many people in Russia give sincere views on the war. It is believed that some may fear retaliation from the state if they disapprove of military action. They found that about 15% of people did not want to express their dissatisfaction with the war when asked directly. However, despite this, the poll still shows that the majority of people in Russia – 53% – supported the invasion. Professor Beckett believes that this internal focus is ultimately the real goal of the information war in Russia: “The Russians are not trying to turn British voters into Putinists … Making a few smart spots on the Internet will probably only serve their audience. It will not convince anyone else.” The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skill unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We collect, analyze and visualize data to tell data-based stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite imagery, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world, while showing how our journalism is done. Why Data Journalism Matters to Sky News
