You're reading: Ruslana, saying fate of Ukraine is being decided now, calls for fight against Kremlin propaganda

 Ruslana Lyzhychko, the Ukrainian pop star who is one of the EuroMaidan Revolution’s most prominent activists, is now working to counter Russian propaganda lies about events in Ukraine. She said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is skilled at distorting events to justify Russia’s invasion into Crimea and interference in Ukraine’s domestic affairs, leaving Ukraine at least a step behind in countering the Kremlin’s stream of propaganda.

“Putin
started a war in Crimea after information propaganda. Putin’s propaganda works
so that European politicians do not understand the complexity of the situation
in Ukraine,” Ruslana said during a March 11 press conference. “When I was in
Strasburg I was shown a picture depicting EuroMaidan with Hitler’s portrait
suggesting that EuroMaidan is pro-fascist. I was told in Washington that
Banderites would come to Crimea to eat Russian-speaking people there.”

Ruslana said
that Ukraine always seems to be a step behind Putin’s misinformation. The goal
is to catch up to the Kremlin propaganda and even get ahead of it.

“We have to
speak about Ukrainians rights,” she said. “We have to ask how many Ukrainians
in Crimea and in Russia are threatened to live in the conditions that Putin’s
propaganda has created.”

According
to her, world diplomacy needs to raise the question about safety of Ukrainians
in Russia.

“The
question about rights of Ukrainians in Russia would be an adequate attack on
Putin, and this attack would be effective and fair,” she said. “Comments and
post-factum discussions do not work. We should have a strategy to confront
Putin’s lies. His propaganda is not only anti-Ukrainian but also anti-human. Putin
hit not only some Ukrainian regions, but also split Ukrainian families that live
both in Russia and Ukraine. It is a crime against humanity.”

Ruslana
says Ukrainians have to think of how to reach out to Russians who live in an informational
prison. “I have many friends in Russia, but I did not call them because I am
afraid to hear their words, their words will break my heart. Putin splits
families and friends,” she says.

Lyzhychko
says that the Russian government creates the image of fascism in Ukraine and the
Russian soldier as liberator.

“We should
not rebroadcast Putin’s messages,” she added. “To oppose Putin we now form a
team to fight against his lies. It consists of many digital communities that
are ready to work. There are advisors, people who monitor press in every
country, journalists, analysts, computer guys. These are the people who create
strategy of working under the information blockade. We have a lot of people who
donate money to our initiative. Two informational platforms called ‘Friends of
Ukraine’ are already formed in Brussels and in Washington.”

Ruslana
calls on the international community for help.

“The
actions by world diplomacy are not enough to stop Putin.  Until there is an economic blockade of Putin,
I do not believe in diplomacy,” she noted.

The pop singer
said that Crimeans should see that Ukraine supports them. “You have to support
people in Crimea emotionally, morally. We have
to collect money and to support Ukrainian military soldiers. We must do our
best so that Crimea feels our utmost support,”
she said. “It’s not a show. It’s a question of people’s lives which are under
threat of physical destruction (in Crimea).”

“Today is
not the time to choose between money and your own state. I urge everybody to
come out and declare your statements concerning Crimea, which are very
important. Don’t say ‘it’s politics.’ Yes, it’s politics, but it is the fate of
our country that is being decided now,” she added.

Kyiv Post staff writer Nataliya Trach can be
reached at [email protected]