Russian propagandists seeking to support the Kremlin’s Iranian ally are finding it difficult to craft a narrative with their newfound ally, US President Donald Trump, who is now involving the United States in Israeli military action against Tehran.
In the wake of US strikes on Iran over the weekend, two important questions are surfacing. First, is the Russian Federation ready to break its “honeymoon” with the Trump administration? Second, does Russia have the ability (especially after the defeat of the Kremlin-sponsored Assad regime in Syria) to influence events in the Middle East?
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
Officially, both Beijing and Moscow initially offered muted responses, leaving their Iranian ally generally to fend for itself, with neither issuing more than generally cautious phrases about “concern.”
But there is also an unofficial reaction – one that authorities are in no hurry to officially express, but which could reveal the Russian government’s real message. This is what the propagandists are saying. And to be sure, the propagandists speak entirely in line with state policy.
In Russia, this is the so-called Z-Telegram – they are people close to the war in Ukraine who have a large number of subscribers and relay the main messages of the Putin regime, which Russian leader Vladimir Putin himself finds inconvenient to officially express.
So, while Putin officially spoke out in favor of negotiations, propagandists are directly saying that this is a way to stall for time so that the US refrains from sending Ukraine further defensive aid, however.
Iran Warns Israel: Any Attack on Beirut Will Trigger Resumption of War
Israel-Iran Conflict
After Israel’s initial bombing of Iran, and before US direct involvement, propagandists were cautious:
“Trump again gives out a set of loosely related words. This time on the Iran-Israel conflict. Apparently, the statements boil down to the fact that he does not want to get involved in the war, but Iran must capitulate,” wrote one of the most popular Russian Telegram propagandists, Notes of a Veteran, prior to Trump’s strikes on Iran.
Propagandists were so focused on not criticizing Trump that they even seemed to abandon their Iranian ally.
They have a rule – they don’t like the weak. If Iran has not been able to fight off Israel, there is no need to stand up for such an ally.
”I honestly don’t bet on Iran. It’s weaker than ever. I think everything will end with the capitulation of the current government of Iran under the promises of the United States not to touch them,” wrote Notes of a Veteran.
Some even went as far as to praise Trump. For example, two-million-subscribed channel, Operation Z, which is run by Russian propagandists and war correspondents, directly wrote:
“Trump gave [Iran] a chance to reach an agreement. The Iranians were fooling him. And Donald Trump can’t be fooled – he knows how to play big. And we both agree that a nuclear Iran is not an option.”
Judging by the emoticon reactions, the audience is disoriented. No one can understand why no one will say a word in defense of Iran, a key Russian ally.
That is why the state propaganda agency stepped up its efforts, talking about Moscow’s readiness to mediate in negotiations between Iran and the US.
Vladimir Solovyov, the chief propagandist on Russian state television, wrote on Telegram of the possibility of US strikes on Iran: “This will be another terrible round of escalation!”
Dmitry Medvedev, the former president of the Russian Federation and now one of Russia’s main war propagandists, several military leaders, and TV presenters Olga Skabeeva and Margarita Simonyan, immediately echoed the call for mediating negotiations.
However, no one doubts that these negotiations are more likely aimed not so much at helping Iran, but as another sector of contact and communication between the United States and Russia, while Russian negotiations with Ukraine are reaching an increasingly deep impasse.
At the same time, the Russian propagandists seem to appreciate that the world is turning its focus to the Middle East and away from Ukraine.
Alexander Dugin, one of the ideologists of Soviet fascism and imperialism and a modern-day Rasputin figure, wrote on Telegram: “The situation is very worrying. The United States is about to enter the war and launch strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. Trump hesitates, his electoral base is split, but he looks determined, and it looks like this time he intends to fight, no matter what. Everyone seems to have forgotten about Ukraine. No one cares about her. Except for us. More than ever.”
However, things changed quickly after the US strikes on Iran, mentioned by Dugin, happened.
The same propagandists who literally praised Trump two days earlier are now attacking him. Operation Z later wrote the following:
“Russian representative Nebenzya condemned the ‘irresponsible, dangerous and provocative actions of the United States.’ In order to preserve its hegemony in the world, the United States is ready for any violations of international law, the permanent representative stressed. No one gave the States full authority for such actions. The United States ‘opened Pandora’s box, and it is unclear what consequences this may lead to.’”
Almost all propagandists have changed their tone – turning from neutral to sharply accusatory toward the US, and Iran has turned from a country that is not worth standing up for, into a “sovereign country” and a “victim of attack.”
“You are attacked with powerful bombs for nothing, and then cynically told that ‘the time for peace has come.’ That’s when the Americans are attacked accordingly – then ‘the time for peace will come.’ Washington will suffer the consequences,” Dugin wrote.
Even Putin went so far as to call the American strikes “unprovoked.”
The propagandists followed suit.
“The bombing of Ukraine, whose government has explicitly stated its intention to create its own nuclear program and join NATO, is an unjustified military aggression and invasion of a sovereign state. The bombing of Iran, which declares its desire to create its own nuclear program, is the salvation of democracy and humanity. Don’t confuse it,” wrote Notes of Veteran.
But no one believes that Russia, especially after Syria, will be able to provide assistance to Iran. In particular, Igor Strelkov, a war criminal, a participant in the Russo-Ukrainian War since 2014, and one of several active pro-war bloggers, highlighted Russia’s withdrawal from supporting Iran as a realistic scenario.
“Iran remains alone, without the support of the Russian Federation (this, by the way, is already a fact) and without real support from China. And in this case, within a month, it will be bombed into the Stone Age. This is exactly what the actions of Israel (and the Americans, who, I expect, will intervene in the conflict within a few days) are aimed at – in order to destroy infrastructure, logistics, and state control centers according to the Yugoslav scenario,” Strelkov wrote.
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter
