Russian forces have used their influence in the Donbas region via pro-Russian separatists and widespread online disinformation campaigns. These attempts have escalated dramatically during the last ten years. Their goal is to destroy the social fabric that exists in the neighborhood and retell the history of its residents. The Russian government has promoted stories that portray ethnic Russians in Ukraine as oppressed and in need of liberation. This is a far-reaching strategy designed to reframe public perception at home and on the world stage.
Donetsk and Luhansk, collectively called Donbas, have been a scene of aggressive warfare since 2014. Since the beginning of 2014, these regions have almost exclusively been under Russian occupation. As of June 2025, Russian forces had specifically detained 29 Ukrainian journalists. They didn’t back down against the disinformation campaign machinery and they didn’t work together. This censorship of independent journalism serves as an example of how hard the Russian propaganda machine is trying to make dissent impossible.
An alarming 2023 report from NewsGuard reveals a disturbing trend. Frequently, Russian propaganda documentaries fly under the radar on platforms like YouTube, letting them infiltrate the public consciousness without proper triage. Dr. Robert Horvath is an expert on Russian politics. He points out all the red flags that are common with the disinformation tactics we’re seeing right now from Russia. He counters that these targeted campaigns have one purpose: to erode faith in the systems that institutions rely on. They prey on vulnerabilities in informational ecosystems that are too frequently unable to insulate themselves from such tactics.
Since its creation in 2015, EUvsDisinfo has tried to provide a check to aggressive Russian disinformation campaigns. Even with these efforts, the persistence and effectiveness of such tactics is a very real obstacle. Malicious actors have done their homework on Western journalism, honing in on the gaps in order to exploit its conventions and undermine narratives with misleading information.
According to media strategist Patrick Boehler, it’s a challenge to find the capacity and resources to combat these disinformation campaigns. “It’s very hard to figure out how to work with it,” he states. “Because obviously, they are able to do five [fake] stories in a time span that you need to contradict the first one.” This quick spread of disinformation makes it all the more challenging for journalists who are committed to the truth.
In the past few years, a number of people have tried to bring the other side’s conflict, which is often underrepresented. This is what inspired Tim Anderson, an Australian former academic, to visit occupied Donbas. The Russian Orthodox Church’s state-rebel hybrid TV channel Spas profiled him in a glowing story. That program, which was produced by the English-language Russian Ark, was widely condemned for its uncritical regurgitation of Russian propaganda.
“We’ve only seen one side of this war, I wanted to see the other side.” – Sean Langan
Voices of local fixers that help foreign journalists expose such actions further illuminate the ominous dynamics that are at work. One stated that he is “not pro-Kremlin,” but rather “pro-Ukrainian,” while expressing concern that “the Ukrainian government is against the Ukrainian people.” These sentiments are emblematic of an ambivalence that many are starting to feel about the stories we’re telling.
Internationally, the wake-up call is about how Russian propaganda is causing transnational harm. Kornii Hrytsiuk notes that “according to various polls, we see that support for Ukraine is generally falling for different reasons.” And he notes that even in our allied nations, support for the war has been strong but is starting to sputter. They’ve done a tremendous amount of work, but their contributions are waning. So, in that sense, we cannot deny that Russian propaganda is doing its job.”
Those who have reported on Ukraine have been understandably angry and dismayed. They persist, wrestling with the ever-increasing challenges of reporting in a hostile environment. Feldman, who regularly traveled from Moscow to Ukraine during pivotal moments like the Maidan Revolution in 2014 and the annexation of Crimea, reflects on how difficult it is to navigate narratives that often blur the lines between victim and oppressor.
“But what happens, for instance, is that you achieve a false balance between someone who is a victim and someone who is an oppressor.” – Patrick Boehler
This dangerous false equivalence undermines journalistic standards and risks deceiving the public who turn to these platforms for fair and balanced content. Coming challenges to media systems are daunting. Failure to consider these limitations can result in a skewed perception of what is truly happening on the ground.
