Kremlin disinformation attacking the ‘legitimacy’ of Ukrainian authorities
One of the cornerstones of pro-Kremlin information manipulation and disinformation is the denial of Ukrainian statehood, to discredit the Ukrainian government, sow discord within Ukraine itself, and sever Ukraine’s ties with its supporters. To these ends, the Kremlin pours enormous resources into disinformation campaigns.
While many of the claims made, for example, about ‘colour revolutions’ in Ukraine and ‘Nazis’ in the Ukrainian government are frankly absurd, others are somewhat more sophisticated and touch on truly problematic areas of Ukrainian politics – for example, corruption. But even these cases the Kremlin deliberately exaggerates out of proportion to create a false sense of urgency or gravitas.
These are the four main myths pushed by Kremlin disinformation to undermine Ukrainian statehood and discredit the Ukrainian government.
Myth 1: The Ukrainian government is illegitimate, Zelenskyy is a usurper of power
Currently, the core element of the pro-Kremlin narratives attacking Ukrainian statehood is the alleged ‘illegitimacy’ of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In just one week between 26 January and 2 February 2025, at least twenty-five articles with the ‘illegitimate’ tag appeared on the Russian state-owned RIA Novosti website alone. All of these boiled down to claiming one thing: President Zelenskyy ‘declared himself a dictator’. According to these pro-Kremlin outlets, Zelenskyy ‘usurped power in Ukraine’ and ‘spat’ on democratic norms.
By drawing focus on Zelenskyy’s presumed ‘illegitimacy’, the Kremlin obfuscates the truth that, according to the Constitution of Ukraine, it is legally impossible to hold elections or referendums in Ukraine in wartime conditions. Russia also ‘forgets’ to recognize the destroyed infrastructure for holding votes in Ukraine, the impossibility of holding elections in the temporarily occupied territories, the difficulties of organising voting for millions of Ukrainians who sought refuge abroad, the impossibility of voting for Ukrainian soldiers on the front line, the impossibility of ensuring security in the event of a missile or any other Russian attack on election day, and much more.
Russian outlets are quick to draw another false conclusion, based on their own narratives about the ‘illegitimacy’ of the Ukrainian president and his ‘mercantile interests’. This is the bizarre claim that Ukraine does not agree to peace negotiations with Russia ‘for the sake of preserving Zelenskyy’s power’. This is how the Kremlin is trying to shift responsibility for Russia’s war against Ukraine onto Ukraine itself. We’ve covered the this manipulative tactic in our previous analyses, for example, 1 000 and 4 000 days of Russia weaponising the concept of peace and The Kremlin’s strange idea of peace.
Myth 2: Ukraine and Zelenskyy are puppets of the West
When in the aftermath of the Euromaidan – mass protests in 2013-2014, Ukraine recommitted to the path of Euro-Atlantic integration, the Kremlin began to categorically and systematically deny Ukraine’s existence as an independent state. Kremlin’s disinformation narratives about the ‘Western colour revolution’ have been debunked time and again – but that does not prevent the Kremlin from continuing to push the idea that Ukraine is only ‘passing from one master to another’.
There is a constant alternation of narratives describing Ukraine as a ‘Western puppet’ and ‘bargaining chip of the West’ with the assertion that the ‘bloodthirsty NATO’ strives to create an image of Ukraine as the enemy, controlled by NATO and ‘the West’. Besides once again playing the victim/aggressor role reversal game, the Kremlin also promotes the narrative of ‘external control of Ukraine’ to create a false perception that Russia is, in fact, confronting global evil in the form of ‘aggressive NATO which has seized Ukraine’.
Myth 3: Nazis are in power in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian people are eagerly awaiting liberation from the ‘Kyiv regime’
World War II and the fight against Nazism in the 20th century occupy a special place in the Russian propaganda machine. Russia seek to appropriate or “own” the role of victim and fighter. Moscow seeks to neglect the massive devastation brought upon Ukraine during WW II and the contribution of Ukraine and Ukrainians in the victory over Nazi-Germany. It is generally recognised that some 5 to 7 million Ukrainian e perished. But these days, the Kremlin is pushing the narrative about the revival of Nazism in Europe to mobilise continuous domestic support for the war of attrition that’s nearing its third year mark.
Russia has been actively developing disinformation trope that Nazis came to power in Ukraine in 2014. Even the fact that in 2019 a person with Jewish heritage became the president of Ukraine and not a single far-right political force got into parliament, did not stop the onslaught of the pro-Kremlin ‘Nazi-scare’. Nor did the fact that Nazi and fascist symbols and ideology are prohibited in Ukraine by law. The Kremlin continues to call anyone who dared to defend Ukraine against Russian invaders a ‘Nazi’.
In the last year the Kremlin’s rhetoric has undergone changes as Russia has also started using a new phrase to demonise Ukraine. Now both the state itself and its political and military leadership are increasingly referred to by Russian outlets as nothing less than ‘terrorists’.
Myth 4: The Ukrainian government and military have discredited themselves. Corruption is rampant in the country, and foreign aid is misappropriated
The landscape of this pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative is impressively diverse. It ranges from claims that mansions of Ukrainian generals burned down in Los Angeles to claims that Zelenskyy doubled the funding for his office and is putting state money in his pocket.
Such claims are an attempt to discredit the work of the Ukrainian political and military leadership, undermine the trust of Ukraine’s supporters and incite popular discontent within the state. The disinformation narrative alleging theft of Western aid in Ukraine is particularly insidious, because it seeks to undermine a vital lifeline to Ukraine.
However, the Kremlin’s lies don’t seems to stick. Ukraine’s supporters themselves have repeatedly emphasised that they are aware of where and how military aid to Ukraine is used. The latest report by the Pentagon Special Inspector General (November 2024) noted Ukraine’s efforts to root out corruption in the defence sector. The Pentagon also once again specifically rejected Russian lies about Ukraine’s ‘theft’ of military and humanitarian aid from countries supporting Ukraine.
According to the 2023 results (the latest available data), Ukraine scored 36 out of 100 possible points in the global Corruption Perceptions Index and took 104th place among 180 countries. At the same time, Ukraine showed an improvement of 3 points in the rating – one of the best results in 2023 in the world. Thus, Ukraine is actually quite far from ‘the most corrupt country in the world’, as Russia claims.
On the contrary, ranking 141 out 180, Russia itself continues to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
Continued support for EU’s response to the war in Ukraine
According to the latest Eurobarometer survey, published at the end of 2024, in the face of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, nearly nine Europeans in ten (87%) agree with providing humanitarian support to the people affected by the war. 71% of EU citizens support economic sanctions on the Russian government, companies, and individuals and 68% agree with providing financial support to Ukraine. Six in ten approve of the EU granting candidate status to Ukraine and 58% agree with the EU financing the purchase and supply of military equipment to Ukraine. So far, the Kremlin has not been successful in tipping the public trust.
The Kremlin’s disinformation peddlers play the long game
The more Russia draws out its war against Ukraine, the more multifaceted pro-Kremlin information manipulation and disinformation becomes. Having unsuccessfully tried to break the armed resistance of the Ukrainians, the Kremlin uses disinformation to foment internal destabilization in Ukraine, as well as to the rupture of Ukraine’s ties with its supporters.
Russia will call any Ukrainian government “illegitimate” if it does not suit the Kremlin. After all, the Kremlin can always declare that any president elected in Ukraine after 2014 came to power through a “color revolution” and a “coup d’etat”.
Don’t be deceived.
