Medieval Times

Russian propaganda is an interesting phenomenon. We see little of it here in the West, just a small subset that is shaped to fit in with our own news well enough to fool those who don't pay close attention. But there is a much wider set of claims being made by the propagandists. This newsletter tracks the major themes.

This week there's a fun claim about a secret plan to restore Moscow to it's medieval boundaries:
This week, pro-Kremlin disinformation time-travelled to medieval times, suggesting that the West and/or NATO planned to reduce Russia after the fall of the USSR to the size of the historical Grand Duchy of Moscow. For those who can't quite recall the borders of that Grand Duchy, you can find a map here. Like in any good spy novel, it all supposedly came from secret documents obtained by Russian intelligence services – soon handed over to Sputnik apparently. There was no further information concerning why the West and/or NATO had a plan to divide Russia according to medieval territorial borders, but the curious disinformation was repeated both in Russian and English outlets. Needless to say, the claims were not accompanied with any proof of the existence of such a 'Grand Duchy plan'.

3 comments:

  1. Well, that newsletter has it all wrong. I, on the other hand, have it on the best authority--my senior White House official pal--that, because Mongolia is such a valuable friend and has such economic and political potential as a counterweight to the PRC, we're actually moving to restore the Mongols to the Siberianregions of their erstwhile empire. We're to help them to reach Urals.

    Eric Hines

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  2. Anonymous2:01 PM

    If the plan is put into effect, will Moscow have to pay reparations to the descendants of the Hanse traders held in captivity for several years by Ivan III as punishment for trading with Novgorod and supporting the city in its fight to remain independent? ;)

    LittleRed1

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  3. I mean, obviously the Hanseatic League must have its due.

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