Vladimir Putin is a terrorist, a tycoon, a politician and a media master? While the world waits to see if an actual war will erupt between Russia and Ukraine, the communications battle continues. Owning a PR firm — and being married to a Ukrainian-born, Russian-speaking wife, I have unique insight in this arena.
Ukrainians watch Russian TV, which is very pro-Putin and it makes it much harder to win the hearts and minds of Russian speakers anywhere in the world. While pro-Russian forces have taken over more than a dozen government offices in 10 Ukraine cities, the story being told in Russian is completely different than that which we see in the West. Russian media speaks of being “on the verge of a civil war” and continually shows images of so-called Ukrainian acts of aggression. Anti-American messages are heard and the word of Putin is regarded as gospel.
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As I said in The Huffington Post some months ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin is a public relations genius. His domestic popularity is through the roof — and Putin continues to march forward. He recently threatened to start charging Ukraine in advance for natural gas supplies, and justifies Russia’s military actions. As Putin said during a call with President Obama, “Russia retained the right to protect its interests and Russian speakers living in Ukraine if violence spread to eastern Ukrainian regions and the Crimea.”
Putin pointed to “real threats to life and health of Russian citizens and numerous compatriots living in that country.” He knows to speak that way to appear as a strong man to his audience. A poll conducted by the public relations arm of the Euromaidan — together with the Agency For Social Research — of 4,200 people found that 56.8% of Russians “support the introduction of troops into Ukraine.” 52% of Russians answered in the affirmative in response to the question “Are you ready to be drafted into the army to carry out such a mission or send your child to war?” The people support Putin — who carries on with his comments of 2005 that the collapse of the Soviet empire “was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.”
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Putin is winning the media war. His mastery of the media is sure to make it that much harder for America and the European Union to oppose him.
Ronn Torossian does not speak Russian — he does, however, love the spy TV show about Russians, “The Americans.”
