Tenchu's Thoughts: Why the Brandon Should We Care About Ukraine, Part 5 - The Propaganda War
Something happened on the road to Kyiv.
Russian commanders 'frustrated' by slow progress in Ukraine with 3,500 soldiers dead - World News - Mirror Online
That wasn't supposed to be part of the script.
Instead, the script called for Putin to go right into Ukraine, take it over with lightning speed, install his puppet regime, then taunt the world to come after him.
And that was supposed to be done within a week.
We're already into Day 4, and Russia has maybe taken over one city:
Russia takes control of all administrative buildings in Ukrainian city (yenisafak.com)
If you don't know where Berdyansk is, that's OK. Neither do I.
The point is, of course, that Russia should have made a lot more significant progress than now.
Optics
"So what, Tenchu," you might ask. Putin still has reserves waiting to go in. He still is making progress. If he keeps pushing forward, his win is inevitable.
But already the narrative among the international media is running away from Putin.
Russian Advance Slowed By Ukrainian Resistance And Logistical Setbacks, U.S. Defense Official Says - WorldNewsEra
Ukrainian Civilians Make Molotov Cocktails to Fight Russia (breitbart.com)
'I need ammo, not a ride', Zelensky says after Joe Biden offers lift out of Kyiv (msn.com)
Ukraine soldiers told Russian officer ‘go fuck yourself’ before they died on island | Ukraine | The Guardian
Meanwhile, protests against the war are widespread all across the globe, except of course in China:
War Protests Erupt Across Europe—Including Russia (forbes.com)
Pictures: Global Protests Roil US, Europe and Asia Over Russian Invasion of Ukraine – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth (nbcdfw.com)
Ukrainians, Supporters Gather In San Francisco To Condemn Russian Attack on Homeland (msn.com)
PSYOPS?
And then there's this. Russian POWs are saying that they were fooled into going to war:
Russian POWs Say They Were Tricked, Threatened During Invasion (not oc) : War2022 (reddit.com)
Of course, they could have been compelled to say that under duress. That's a possibility.
Moreover, all of these positive stories on Ukraine could be a vast Ukrainian "PSYOPS" mission, designed to twist the truth and make Ukraine look a lot more resilient than they actually are. That too is a possibility.
But here's my question.
Where are the pro-Russia videos?
Where are the pro-Russia stories in the media?
What happened to Putin's army of social media trolls?
Who really believes that Putin is "liberating" Ukraine from the "Nazis"?
Even the "Ghost of Kyiv," which is turning out to be a myth, is leading to some fun Internet memes. Here's my favorite:
Putin Gives A Brandon About Image
By the way, don't tell me that Putin doesn't care about the propaganda war, because his entire hour-long speech was full of false pretenses for going to war:
Putin’s rambling Ukraine speech leaves western diplomats scrambling | Russia | The Guardian
If he didn't care, why even give a speech? Just go in, kill people, break things, and take over the country.
Nope, he cares tremendously. He needs China to play along:
Chinese News Outlet Mistakenly Leaks Its Own Instructions On Censoring Russia-Ukraine Conflict (unilad.co.uk)
He needs his own people to believe in his cause. Which reportedly they are NOT doing:
Thousands Arrested in Anti-War Protests in Russia | The National Interest
He also needs Ukrainians, including the ethnic Russians living there, to either surrender peacefully or welcome their "liberators" with open arms.
Which of course NO ONE in Ukraine is reportedly doing, or else Putin would have broadcast it to the whole world already.
There is no doubt in my mind that Putin is being embarrassed as I type. And as a guy who thinks Putin belongs in hell, I'm all for him losing the war of propaganda.
Classic Underdog Story
Bottom line is that people LOVE a good underdog story.
And the longer Ukrainians hold out, the more they will win the hearts and minds of the rest of the world.
And the more backbone they will grow against Putin.
Maybe the West will even find it within themselves to finally cut off Putin's energy exports for good.
Maybe the West will eventually cut Russia completely off from the SWIFT banking network, as many pundits once expected but as it turns out was harder than imagined.
Maybe the West will finally stop funding Putin's imperialistic ambitions and will accelerate their plans for energy self-sufficiency. Yes, that includes renewables, but it also includes increased domestic production. (It would also include telling the environmentalist wackos like The Extinction Rebellion to go take a hike.)
All because one nation, which most people still can't find on a map, reminded us that freedom is indeed truly worth fighting for, even against overwhelming odds.
And maybe that one nation will make the rest of us give a Brandon about Ukraine after all.
Tenchusatsu |
