Russian propagandists benefit from creating chaos and instability, says Ukrainian political expert commenting

Political expert Taras Zagorodnii commented on the reaction of Russian propagandists and Ukrainian society to rumors about the possible dismissal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi in an interview with Radio NV on Jan. 30.

Read also: Zelenskyy’s office denies sacking Zaluzhnyi

NV: I assume that the Member of Parliament Mariana Bezuhla smiled. And the propagandist Margarita Simonian wrote that "it doesn't matter whether Zaluzhnyi was fired or not, nor who will replace him, the ‘chaos on the farm’ is useful for us, and besides, it's beautiful". It seems to me that only Russian propaganda has benefited from this mess. What do you think?

TZ: Not only propaganda. The Russians always try to create chaos in countries they don't like. They try to create a situation of instability.

And in general, the Russians are quite good at conducting this kind of special information operation. In particular, they will inflate any, even minor, disputes in Ukrainian society in their favor. So it is not surprising that they have these reactions.

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NV: And what about the reactions in Ukraine? Ukrainian President Zelenskyy did not mention this situation in his evening speech. Is it just a minor issue for him? Why wasn’t it mentioned?

TZ: The president apparently does not comment on events that have not taken place. His Press Secretary said within an hour or so that there had been no dismissals. The Defense Ministry also confirmed that there were no changes. Because the dismissal of General Zaluzhnyi is only possible on the recommendation of the Defense Minister. And they also denied it. I think that was enough at this stage.

NV: What do you think about the polarization of Ukrainian society, especially in relation to this issue?

TZ: This is not only a problem of Ukrainian society, it is a problem of modern societies in general. The emergence of social media has created an opportunity to actively manipulate information. And the question of truth and facts has become quite blurred. You can see this in the United States. So Ukrainians are no exception to the general rule. So I would not say that this is a purely Ukrainian trait.

But it is a Ukrainian trait to perceive events emotionally. That is a fact. And, of course, it is influenced by the situation in the country because Zaluzhnyi is responsible for the security in the public mind. And security is a basic human need. That's why there was such a reaction in this case.

Besides, in our country the security forces have the highest levels of trust: 97% of people trust the army, and 71% trust the SBU (Ukraine’s Security Service). So it is natural that possible changes in the leadership of the army should cause such a heated debate, especially since Zaluzhnyi enjoys the trust of society and, in particular, the military.

NV: What is the lesson to be learned from these events? Don’t read [fromer MP] Boryslav Bereza, don’t read Bezuhla? Dismiss her from the Defense Committee? If a story is developing, it means that something is happening.

Read also: Some in Zelenskyy’s party want to oust Zaluzhnyi — NV interview

TZ: Of course, one shouldn't read Bezuhla anyway, because it becomes more and more difficult for her to imitate intellectual activity. In this case, at the level of her understanding, she says some things that are not true. For example, yesterday she sent out a message that the General Staff is supposedly all alcoholics. This is beyond the pale.

But unfortunately she is a Member of Parliament. And the fact that she is still a member of the Servant of the People faction casts more of a shadow on the faction itself, which has not yet resolved this issue. Of course, it is not possible to deprive her of her parliamentary mandate in the current legal framework, especially since she is a majority member. But to expel her from the fraction... I think that this is long overdue.

As for other opinion leaders. The question is how you perceive them. You can't forbid a person to write what they write on Facebook or other social media platforms. You can ask them what information they used to make that statement, and so on.

And, of course, you should rely more on facts. And, as Radio NV says, only trust official sources.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine