They are at the forefront of Russia’s information war against Ukraine and the Western world. Some are TV stars, like Margarita Simonian, who calls herself an “information soldier,” or Vladimir Soloviev, known for his violent anti-Western rants. Others, in the shadows, pull the strings of the media, like the very secretive Alexei Gromov, adviser to the Russian president.
Margarita Simonian is the editor-in-chief of the RT (Russia Today) television channel. The chain’s French branch announced its closure in January, following European sanctions that led to its assets being frozen.
RT is “under the permanent control, direct or indirect, of the authorities of the Russian Federation” and carries out “actions of disinformation and manipulation of information against the EU and its Member States”, says the Council of the EU in a Press release. as of March 2022. In Russia, the channel is run mainly by Margarita Simonian. The editor is one of Putin’s “main propaganda faces”, according to the US Secretary of State.
“She is always very eager to prove that she is the most loyal soldier,” says Alexey Kovalev, head of the investigative department at Russian-language outlet Meduza, in our documentary Ligne Rouge aired on Monday.
Vladimir Soloviev, the “Mad King”
Another face of Russian propaganda that has been well known since the start of the war in Ukraine is that of Vladimir Solovyov. The fiery-talking TV and radio host doesn’t hesitate to launch threatening tirades. In January, for example, he said that “preemptive strikes against France” should be carried out over the military equipment it supplies to Ukraine.
“He is someone who is there to play the role of the tsar’s madman, the king’s madman, who will put even more radical ideas to the test,” explains Françoise Daucé, director of studies at EHESS, specializing in the Russian and Caucasian worlds.
The technique is as follows: “we pronounce barbarities and see how people react,” says historian and journalist Galia Ackerman, author of the Vladimir Putin’s Black Book.
The Shadow Man: Alexei Gromov
Another lesser-known man is also a key player in Kremlin propaganda: Alexei Gromov, Putin’s chief of staff, according to the Russian Presidency website.
According to Alexey Kovalev, he arranges a weekly meeting in the Kremlin with all the editors of state newspapers and TV channels. According to journalist Mikhail Roubin, who investigated Gromov, the latter is “the mastermind of all Russian propaganda.”
A documentary to watch in full on Monday, June 19, 2023 at 8:50 p.m. on BFMTV, then on repeat on RMC BFM Play. An investigation by Sandra Boulanger, with Quentin Baulier and Benoit Chevalier.
Source: BFM TV
