With cellphone and internet service cut in Izyum, occupying forces tried to use the information vacuum to promote Moscow's vision of a 'Russian world'
IZYUM, Ukraine — Over the months Russian troops occupied this northeastern Ukrainian city, puppet authorities regularly distributed propaganda newspapers to residents, pushing a narrative of normalcy and unity even as homes and infrastructure were demolished, stores were looted, and civilians struggled to find basic provisions to survive.
The publications include two newspapers, The Izyum Telegraph and Kharkiv Z, the first of which pushed narratives that Russian soldiers were helping to rebuild areas destroyed by Kyiv’s forces as the community worked toward a brighter future. Kharkiv Z used more colloquial — and at times aggressive — language, similar to other current Russian propaganda outlets.
Several Izyum residents said they barely acknowledged the papers when they were handed out, using them instead as kindling to cook outside or stay warm. “They burned really well,” one resident said. “We are doing everything to rebuild our towns and villages. But we feel a lack of working hands and experienced managers,” the article said. “I’m speaking to every one of you: STOP SITTING IN THE BASEMENTS.”
One one page, an article about signing children up for summer camp in Russia was juxtaposed next to a report that 47 bodies had been retrieved from a damaged apartment building and that Russian forces were investigating who on the Ukrainian side was allegedly responsible for the attack. An illustration of Alexander Suvorov, a famed tsarist general who died in 1800, accompanied the article.By the third issue of The Izyum Telegraph, released in June, the paper was announcing “cadet class” where children could learn the history of the region, develop their Orthodox Christian religious beliefs and engage in physical training.
After Russian troops retreated earlier this month, Ukrainian officials discovered a mass burial site in the forest near an official cemetery in Izyum, including a mass grave holding 17 Ukrainian soldiers.
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