Putin’s Lies & their Effect on People

I have been researching Russian disinformation for the think tank, EUROPEUM Prague, where I am a research assistant. And one thing stood out: the chaos that spreads because of the purposeful use of lies and falsehoods.

When Putin lies, his disinformation campaigners spread an infinite amount of subsequent lies to confuse the populace. In the end, many give up because the truth is so difficult to establish.

Let me show you a few examples of this methodology and why it is so effective.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

This usage of lies has been called a “firehose of falsehoods” and I have written about it elsewhere. For our purposes here, I will look at some specific examples that will, I think, illuminate Putin’s strategy toward the West further.

But as a brief initial outline, I will borrow from s Richey Mason who helpfully explains some of the key attributes of disinformation in his article, “Contemporary Russian Revisionism”:

1. “dissuading rival political entities;”
2. “generalizing cynicism about domestic and international politics,” including global governance guided by international law, and instead promoting Russian policy agendas internationally;
3. “legitimating artificially constructed facts on the ground;”
4. “causing dissension…