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The Semantics of Russia’s Propaganda
Russia’s war with Ukraine has been a remarkable case study of language evolving to match an ever-changing truth
As Russian troops snuck out of Lyman under the cover of darkness, word reached Moscow that another retreat was underway. Embarrassment mixed with shock set in leaving many in disbelief.
It had just been on Friday that Putin, looking very much like grandpa from “The Munsters,” chanted at a rally that the illegally-annexed territories were part of Russia “for-ever, for-ever.”
For Lyman, “forever” seems to have come with an expiration date; only time will tell for how long this logistics hub-of-a-town remains in Ukrainian hands. It has switched back and forth between the countries four times since 2014.
The Lyman victory, however, is not of the scale we saw back at the beginning of September. It is a town of 22,000 and only 5,000 troops were holding it.
As I watched the Russian talking heads in Moscow go on about Lyman, I heard some interesting changes in their language. These grown men and women were at a transitory moment in the government’s messaging and while they were talking a lot they were saying very little.
