From ‘terrorists’ and ‘militants’ to ‘opposition’ and ‘new authorities’ How Russian propaganda’s rhetoric evolved as the Assad regime fell
For the last two weeks, Russian state officials and government media have been closely following developments in Syria, where armed rebels launched a swift offensive against government forces, captured the country’s largest cities, and ultimately declared the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8. The Syrian president, whose family had ruled the country for half a century, sought asylum in Moscow — a request Vladimir Putin personally granted to him “on humanitarian grounds.” As the Syrian conflict reignited, Russian propaganda initially labeled the forces opposing Assad’s army as terrorists. After December 8, however, Russian media and officials began describing the groups that seized power in Syria as the “opposition.” Meduza shares a selection of Russian propaganda headlines and official statements to show how the authorities’ portrayal of the situation evolved.
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Channel One: Russian Aerospace Forces destroy at least 400 militants in Aleppo and Idlib
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RIA Novosti: Terrorists capture Aleppo with support from U.S. and Ukraine, according to source
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[Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria] Zakharova: “Syrian militants would not have attacked without support from outside forces.”
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[Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily] Nebenzya: “Russia strongly condemns the coordinated incursion by terrorists in Syria.”
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[Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov: “It’s unacceptable to allow terrorists to seize Syrian territory.”
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Russian Foreign Ministry: Russian officials are in contact with leaders of armed Syrian opposition groups
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TASS: Syrian opposition controls Tartus, site of Russian military base
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Channel One: Opposition flag raised over Syrian Embassy in Moscow
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RIA Novosti: Syrians discuss situation in Damascus and Aleppo after opposition victory
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[Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry] Peskov: “Russia plans to discuss continued deployment of troops in Syria with the country’s new authorities after situation stabilizes.”
