Since then, active Telegram channels have only been operational in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, and their total count has gradually fallen to 80. We mapped those channels to assess Russia’s initial military ambitions.

Later, some of the channels were abandoned and stopped receiving updates. Sixty-eight channels were created during the first two weeks of war while the others were launched after the occupation forces had gone further and deeper. He named 10 such channels during the interrogation. The systemic approach to creating Telegram channels in all the occupied villages and towns was confirmed by the captured Russian lieutenant colonel, chief of information countermeasures and operational camouflage division of the 58th Army of Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces. The idea was that local resources would have more chances winning readers’ trust than central channels of Russian propaganda by offering a mix of propagandist narratives and local news which may be of some use for the readers. The strategy of creating local sources of propaganda was considered to be quite effective - at least hypothetically. The administrators also used them to imitate such support by the locals. Although each one posed as a source of local news, those channels were in fact used to disseminate Russian narratives and bolster support for the occupiers. Telegram Occupation How Russia Wanted to Breed a Media Monster, but Ended up with a Paper Tiger.Īt the beginning of March, right after the full-scale invasion, Russian information troops targeted regional centers of Ukraine by creating dedicated Telegram channels for each township or community.

Russian telegram