Useful idiots

In Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, you can watch Russian-lan-guage TV channels, so its citizens would have been able to hear the favourable reporting of Vladimir Putin’s now-infamous speech declaring Ukraine had no right to exist.

- STEPHEN DAVIS

They also get the English language channel RT (formerly Russia Today), which, as Putin sent his tanks in to destroy their democracy, ran such headlines as “Firm admits selling potentially tainted rocket fuel to Nasa” and “US investigating complaints of self-braking Hondas”. And, as a more minor story: “Russia ready to negotiate with Ukraine – Kremlin”.

Kyiv residents could have followed Putin’s good friend Margarita Simonyan, RT’s editor-in-chief. As Ukrainians huddled in shelters and their soldiers laid down their lives, Simonyan announced that they were greeting Russian troops with home-baked pies.

In the West, meanwhile, you could find extremists of both right and left quoting Putin’s speech to justify his declaration of war against Ukraine – and following the Russian talking points by not calling it a war.

The Russians are extremely skilled at disinformation, but what was striking about Putin’s speeches and the pro-Russian commentary is that they did not bother with much subterfuge.

Putin simply invented a story and sent the tanks in.