"The West is at war with Russia via Ukraine." New false reports and old propaganda narratives in Crimea

In the second half of October, representatives of the Russian occupation authorities in Crimea and pro-Russian media continued to manipulate information, produce false reports, and disseminate Russian propaganda narratives under the guise of supposedly truthful statements.

Since the events on the Maidan in 2013–2014, Russian propaganda has employed specific terms to characterize the legitimate Ukrainian authorities and political movements within the country.

This practice expanded and evolved following Russia’s occupation of Crimea and the annexation of parts of the Donbas, as well as after the Russian Federation launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine.

"Kyiv regime," "Nazis," "junta," and other tropes of Russian propaganda

Russian-controlled media in Crimea, as well as Crimean politicians and officials acting as spokespersons, actively employ terms such as "Kyiv regime," "Nazis," "junta," and others.

For instance, on October 16, Vadym Kolesnichenko—a former MP for the Party of Regions who resides in occupied Sevastopol—stated in a comment to *RIA Novosti Crimea*: "The Kyiv regime might attempt to orchestrate a major provocation resulting in a large number of casualties." On October 19, the Telegram channel *WarGonzo* wrote: "Today, the city [Sevastopol – Ed.] is once again holding its defenses and repelling attacks by Ukrainian neo-Nazis."

On October 20, speaking on *Radio Sputnik* in Crimea, Oleksandr Gusev—a Doctor of Political Science, professor, and international affairs expert—remarked: "That is precisely what he [Trump – Ed.] is doing by striking a deal regarding diesel. The Kyiv regime responded to this in kind by striking our oil refineries."

On October 20, the aforementioned Vadym Kolesnichenko, speaking to *RIA Novosti Crimea* about the "Zelenskyy regime," stated: "The scaremongering about some 20 million refugees is aimed at European voters. In reality, however, there will be no such influx of refugees, as there is no cause for it. The primary 'refugees' are those who do not wish to fight and die for the Zelenskyy regime. Once this Nazi clique is replaced, people will be happy to remain in Ukraine and will finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief." On October 21, on the airwaves of "Radio Crimea," Oleksandr Makari—head of the so-called "Center for Regional Management of the Republic of Crimea"—added yet another propagandistic label: "terrorist."

"It is necessary to expose to the world the horrific actions committed by the terrorist Kyiv regime."

Among all Crimean politicians, the head of the Russian-installed Crimean parliament, Volodymyr Konstantinov, speaks most frequently about a "regime," a "coup d'état," and "Nazis" in Kyiv.

"Events in Europe, the links between 'Ukro-Nazis' and drug cartels—these are minor details in the shifting atmosphere surrounding the Ukrainian conflict... The Nazi regime must disappear, and this must be one of the outcomes of any negotiations. As for the future of Ukraine and the Ukrainians, this must be resolved through lengthy negotiations between those countries and politicians capable of pursuing a responsible political course," Volodymyr Konstantinov wrote on his Telegram channel on October 21—effectively stripping Ukraine of its political agency by suggesting that its fate should be decided by other nations.

On October 22, in an interview with *Krymskie Noviny* (Crimean News), Konstantinov stated: "We are prepared to welcome the residents of Oleshky and provide assistance. I view the blockade of Oleshky as yet another war crime by the Kyiv regime."

"For the Ukrainian Nazis, an attack on Crimea is something that belongs in the realm of psychiatry," Konstantinov wrote on his Telegram channel on October 28. On October 28, *Krimskie Izvestija*—the newspaper of the Russian-backed parliament of Crimea—published a statement by Konstantinov: "The issue of presidential elections in Ukraine is rooted in a systemic crisis regarding the legitimacy of the entire current administration in Kyiv. ... He [Zelenskyy – Ed.], much like Petro Poroshenko and Oleksandr Turchynov before him, has from the very outset operated outside the legal framework—a situation that arose as a result of a coup d'état."

"The current Kyiv regime is a neo-Reichskommissariat 'Ukraine.' Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the reincarnation of Erich Koch, adapted to today's historical realities"—this statement by Crimean political scientist Ivan Mezhyukh was published on October 28 by the website *Lenta novostey Kryma*.

"SMO" and the "Ukrainian conflict," rather than a war

Upon launching a full-scale war against Ukraine, Russia initially termed it a "special military operation (SMO)," and later began referring to it more generally as the "Ukrainian conflict," citing the "protection of compatriots." Russian occupiers are labeled "defenders" by propaganda, while Ukrainian soldiers are referred to in various ways—sometimes even as "evil spirits."

"The start of the SMO in 2022 marks a shift in the Russian Federation's approach—a significant milestone—as Russia moved from merely supporting its compatriots to actively protecting them. If you recall, we had a law on supporting compatriots; supporting is one thing, but protecting is quite another," stated Georgy Muradov on October 16, during a Moscow-Simferopol video conference focused on geopolitical competition in the Black Sea region.

Muradov further claimed that this was "preceded by numerous, decades-long attempts by the West to absorb the 'Russian world' within the territories of post-Soviet states." His remarks were cited by RIA Novosti Crimea.

"The conflict in Ukraine could end within six months—Europe will no longer be able to drag it out," political analyst Dmitry Zhuravlev said on October 16, during a broadcast on Radio Sputnik in Crimea. "The poster exhibition 'Armor of Faith' has opened at the Tauric Chersonesus Museum-Reserve. The project's concept reflects the historical connection between the traditions of the defenders of the Fatherland across different eras," the website *Lenta Novosti Krima* wrote on October 16, drawing parallels—which do not actually exist—between the defenders of the Fatherland during the Second World War and those from earlier conflicts.

"The Russian army is driving evil spirits out of the Russian Land," the official Telegram channel of the Russian-installed government of Crimea, "Republic of Crimea |Z| Official," wrote on October 20.

On October 22, Zaur Smirnov, a political expert and member of the Civic Chamber of Crimea, referred to the situation as the "Ukrainian conflict" in an interview with *RIA Novosti Crimea*.

Also on October 22, Oleg Gabrielyan, a professor in the Department of Philosophy at V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University (KFU), mentioned the "Ukrainian conflict" while speaking on *Radio Crimea*.

On October 24, Oleksandr Bedrytsky—a Candidate of Political Sciences and head of the "Tavriya" Information and Analytical Center—referred to the war as the "Ukrainian conflict" during a broadcast on *Radio Sputnik* in Crimea.

"Zelenskyy needs to answer three difficult questions for which he has no answer: Why did you kill so many people? Why did you destroy the country? Where did you spend the money?" Vladimir Konstantinov stated to *RIA Novosti* on October 24, shifting the blame for the loss of life and the destruction of the country from Russia onto the President of Ukraine.

"The West is at War with Russia"

Russian propaganda consistently portrays the war launched against Ukraine as a "conflict with the collective West," which has allegedly taken a stance against the Russian Federation and is waging war against it through the hands of Ukraine.

Specifically, on October 16, political scientist Dmitry Zhuravlev expressed this view while on air with the radio station "Sputnik in Crimea." According to Zhuravlev, "the West's initial idea was simple: to bring down Russia using Ukraine, plunder it, and use those funds to plug its own financial holes."

"The West is striving with all its might to maintain its dominant role by imposing its own rules. It is through its efforts that Ukraine has become a battlefield," wrote Konstantin Zatulin, head of the Institute of CIS Countries, on his channel on the platform MAX on October 17.

On October 17, in the newspaper *Moskovsky Komsomolets*, in an article titled "The 'Special Military Operation' and the Crimean War: The Main Enemies of Russia Remain the Same, Yet There Are Important Nuances," military historian Sergey Chenik from Sevastopol wrote: "England, France, and the rest of Europe are literally seething with hatred toward Russia and seek to inflict a 'strategic defeat' upon us. The only difference is that now, instead of Turkey, they are using Ukraine—and, furthermore, they dare not participate directly in the conflict themselves, because, in the current reality, such a move could result in a blow from Russia’s thermonuclear 'club' landing squarely on their overheated heads." "... Today’s Ukrainians display a much greater degree of masochism in this regard, stubbornly continuing to die for a puppet regime that serves the interests of the very same English, French, and other European financial clans."

"Ukraine continues its military operations and persists in its insistence on inflicting a strategic defeat upon Russia, acting as a tool of Brussels," stated Dmitry Solonikov, Director of the Institute for Modern State Development, during a broadcast on Radio Crimea on October 26.

On October 27, also speaking on Radio Crimea, Dmitry Garbuzov—a professor in the Department of Philosophy at the V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University—noted that "European countries view the Ukrainian conflict as a means to weaken Russia."

The "Oppression" of the Russian Language

On October 16, *Krimskaya Gazeta* wrote about the alleged oppression of the Russian language in Ukraine as part of its "Information Hit Parade" segment.

"Continuing on the topic of language, I would like to give credit to the Ukrainian authorities for their persistent attempts—defying all common sense—to systematically defeat the Russian language. The Verkhovna Rada has passed a law that expands the use of Hungarian, Romanian, and other European Union languages ​​within the education system. Schools with a special status are envisioned for national minorities, allowing them to study and communicate in their native languages ​​alongside Ukrainian. A total of 149 schools will be eligible to apply for this arrangement. The Russian language—which remains the native tongue for millions of Ukrainian citizens—is not mentioned in the document at all. Kyiv has made concessions to Budapest to address some of Hungary’s demands; however, for Russian speakers, it seems that being the exception to the rule has once again become the rule itself," the text states.

In reality, the adopted law protects the languages ​​of Ukraine’s smaller national minorities; by definition, Russian does not fall into this category.

"Father-Occupier Day"

Russia celebrates Father's Day on October 18. Many Crimean politicians and officials extended greetings to the residents of Crimea on this occasion. Some of them referred to fathers who are allegedly "defending the Fatherland" in the war against Ukraine. In truth, these individuals are occupiers. "Today, many fathers are fulfilling their military duty on the front lines, defending the Fatherland," wrote the Russian head of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, on his Telegram channel.

The head of the Russian administration in Sudak, Kirill Chebishev, also speaks of "defenders." "Special words of gratitude and support go to our fathers who are currently in the zone of the 'special military operation'—men who are honorably fulfilling their military duty, defending the Fatherland, our future, and the right of future generations to live under peaceful skies," the official wrote on his Telegram channel.

"We are especially proud of our fathers who are currently fulfilling their duty with honor, defending the Fatherland and their loved ones in the zone of the 'special military operation,'" writes Albert Kurshutov, Deputy Head of the Russian government in Crimea.

Crimea has "always" been Russian and "new territories"

The fact that Crimea has supposedly always "been Russian" is something that Russian propaganda and its spokespersons do not miss the opportunity to mention at every convenient opportunity. And the occupied territories of southern Ukraine are called "historical", "reunified" or simply "new".

"Ukraine itself was such a new formation, quite incredible. Read the same Bulgakov, who never ceased to be surprised by these "geographical news". Crimea's affiliation to the Russian Federation did not surprise anyone. It would be surprising if it were not so", said Vladimir Konstantinov in an interview for RT on October 18.

"Students from the united regions of Russia will need years to adapt," Viktoria Grinchenko, a teacher of Russian language and literature from the Kherson region, told RIA Novosti Crimea on October 19, talking about what she allegedly had to face in the education system "under the oppression of Ukrainian nationalists."

In Crimea, they proposed publishing a collection of patriotic songs for Heroes of the Fatherland Day.

"This is a collection of patriotic songs that are one of the contributions to the formation and support of our Russian identity. The songs will be from different composers and authors of different nationalities, including Crimean ones, in order to weave the Crimean identity into the common history," said Ilya Kazakov, head of the Public Chamber of Crimea, about the "Russian identity" of Crimeans on October 20 on TV channel Krim 24.

"RIA Novosti Crimea" publishes daily weather reports on its MAKS channel.

"Our talented Crimean models - Mihail and Violeta Ševtsov - proudly represented Russia at the international competition in sunny Brazil Little Prince of the Sea 2026", wrote the telegram channel "Incident Krim DTP ČP" on October 23.

"In 2014, we returned to our homeland thanks to the will of Crimeans and the decision of President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin," wrote the Russian head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, on his Telegram channel on October 23.

"According to Konstantinov, de facto the whole world has already recognized that the 2014 referendum was absolutely fair and legally clean. ... Crimea became a Russian region in March 2014 after the referendum after the coup in Ukraine," RIA Novosti Crimea wrote on October 27.

"Bloody pastor" Oleksandr Turchynov, the leader of the Kiev regime after the 2014 coup, has published a memoir in which he denies the accusations against him for the loss of Crimea. Turchynov claims that Kiev several times ordered the Ukrainian Navy to use weapons against the participants of the "Russian Spring" in Crimea.

"Unfortunately, even after the repeated order, the situation did not change: even during the storming of the headquarters of the Ukrainian navy, none of the Ukrainian soldiers and officers managed to use their weapons!", laments a Bandera supporter, wrote the Politnavigator website on October 29, calling the annexation of Crimea the "Russian Spring" and Turchynova a "Bandera supporter" and "leader of the Kyiv regime."

"Scythian Gold-2"

The topic of a collection of artifacts—allegedly stolen by Ukraine from Crimean museums—is frequently raised by pro-Russian media in Crimea, despite the fact that an international court has affirmed the Ukrainian state's rights to the so-called "Scythian gold."

"Residents of Sevastopol will once again be able to see the exhibits that Europe stole more than 10 years ago from the museums of Tauric Chersonesos and Crimea," the TV channel Sevastopol reported on October 19.

Manipulation of Concepts

In comments to the media, former Ukrainian Member of Parliament Vadim Kolesnichenko manipulated the concepts of a state's maritime border—which extends to 12 nautical miles—and its exclusive economic zone, which reaches up to 200 nautical miles. Waters beyond the 12-nautical-mile limit are considered international and are open to navigation by other nations.

A day earlier, in an interview with the British newspaper *The Times*, Kaja Kallas stated that the European Union, together with Canada and the United States, intends to confront Russia and China in the Arctic by seeking unrestricted access to the Northern Sea Route.

"In essence, this is a direct call for war. After all, two-thirds of the Northern Sea Route consists of our territorial waters—our economic space. So, is Kallas proposing that we start a Third World War?" Kolesnichenko stated to RIA Novosti Crimea on October 20.

What did Trump say?

On October 20, RIA Novosti Crimea published a report on a press conference held by U.S. President Donald Trump; however, the same news item featured different textual and semantic nuances across the publication’s Telegram channel and its website. While the report referred to Russia as a "great country," Trump himself used the word "huge." His remarks contained no mention of the "Ukrainian conflict."

"Russia is a great power. Ukraine is not," Trump stated. The American leader acknowledged Russian gains in the zone of the Special Military Operation. According to him, Russian forces are simply continuing to advance slowly, with the territory under their control steadily expanding week by week.

What else did he say?

Zelensky could have reached an agreement to resolve the conflict two years ago—under much more favorable terms.

Russia wants the conflict to end.

A meeting between Putin and Zelensky is not a prerequisite for a resolution.

The Kyiv regime faces "very bad" consequences if it refuses to end the conflict, according to a post on the RIA Novosti Crimea Telegram channel.

This post was also shared by the Telegram channel "ChP Feodosia" (Crimea).

At the same time, the version of the news item on the news agency's website appears different and carries different semantic nuances:

"You could say things in Ukraine are going well or poorly, but there is more and more land [under the control of the Russian Federation – Ed.]. You know, Russia is a big machine. They just keep moving forward, slowly," he noted. At the same time, the head of the White House added that Russia is interested in ending the Ukrainian conflict and threatened Zelensky with consequences if he refuses to resolve it peacefully.

"Ukraine must want to resolve this war." "Zelensky has to want to solve this war, and if he doesn't, I think it's going to be very bad," Trump summed up.

What did the American president actually say?

"Ukraine and Russia are losing a lot of people, but Russia is a huge country, and Ukraine is not. Ukraine should strive to reach an agreement. The US has spent a lot of money, Europe has spent a lot of money, and now Europe is tired of it. If they don't reach an agreement, I think things will get worse," said Trump, according to Clash Report.

Outright lies

Sometimes, Crimean media outlets publish complete lies.

"Psychologist Maria Afonina described how Ukrainian special services allegedly use bullying to recruit teenagers."

According to her, one common scheme takes place within online games—for example, on the Roblox platform: players begin harassing someone, and a fraudster, posing as a defender, approaches the teenager, subsequently extorting money or recruiting them," states an article in *Krymskaya Gazeta* dated October 22.

The psychologist provided no facts or evidence.

"It is extremely dangerous for Russians to travel to European Union countries. A person could become a target of criminal prosecution," claims Alexander Talipov, leader of the public movement "Crimean SMERSH," as reported by RIA Novosti Crimea on October 26—though no examples of such cases were provided to substantiate this.