On the way to Dambassk

Since the end of September, the news from Latakia and Homs has been ousted Ukraine from the television. Is it possible to quietly replace one war of another and what theses and techniques for this will be needed - the New Times sorted out

What to do in Syria, Dmitry Kiselev knew in advance, "News of the Week", September 27, 2015
The militant that seemed endless about the exploits of the militias of the self -proclaimed republics leaves Russian television screens. The viewer - and in the political space of the Russian there is a viewer, he has neither other rights nor other functions, he should only look and approve - a new blockbuster is required. And he is. The premiere of the season-“Russia defeats ISIS * in Syria”-took place on September 27 in issues of all information and analytical programs on federal television channels. The advertising campaign, as expected, began even earlier.

The number of materials about the events in Ukraine in news releases steadily decreased: according to the information and analytical system "Mediaology", in September this topic was touched on television channels only 250 times. For comparison - in August 750 times, and, for example, in February - over 1250. And on the last day of September, a military operation in Syria begins - an declared, legal war that does not need to be shy. Quite the contrary, it can and should be proud of it.

After Ukraine, the propaganda campaign, which the official media, primarily television, leads from the beginning of the confrontation on the Maidan, turned out to be very effective. She was not only able to substantiate the actions (and at times and inaction) of the Russian government. She changed the consciousness of Russians. This, I must admit, is a great creative success of the regime and its specialists in working with public opinion. But this is also a serious problem.

The Russian was offered a holistic picture of the world, and he began to live in this world.

In the center of this world is Russia, the last stronghold of traditional values ​​(they are universal). Russia rises from the knees, returns the original lands and does not allow humanity to plunge into chaos. Around enemies, and external more important than internal. The internal ones do not exist at all, they are dependent on the external ones, they take money from the external money and act according to their pointer. Somewhere on the outskirts of Russia (here the etymology of the word "Ukraine" came to the help of help), external enemies managed to sow the turmoil. He raised his head fascism. In some regions, however, there were heroes who could resist fascism with weapons in their hands. And where there were no heroes, there is a disaster.

"Fascism" here is a key word. The fight against fascism is a concept that allows you to enter your own actions in history, to conduct a straight line from victory, the anniversary of which was celebrated on an incredible scope, to victories, real and imaginary, today's Day.

The task of the Russian government is to help the fraternal people of Donbass in his struggle against the resurrected fascism, as well as to prevent the repetition of the “Ukrainian script” with us. And the only task of the Russian (he is a viewer) is in no case to interfere with the authorities.

The scheme worked. The Russian believed. The words "fascist" and "Benderovets" entered the household vocabulary as everyday curses. The atrocities of the Kyiv junta were discussed in trams and in the kitchens; The situation inside the country ceased to occupy the minds. But also - and this is just a problem - the Russian is used to his new picture of the world and now needs constant information feeding. You can’t just take it and stop broadcasting something without which life can no longer be thought of. You can not allow the viewer (aka Russian) to look around and think. You cannot allow him to return to Russia.

The new tasks are in this way, propaganda has two goals. Firstly, explain the shift of priorities. To tell you why it is necessary to wage war with the radical Islamists (among whom all enemies of the president Bashar al-Assad have already been recorded in bulk) in Syria. And secondly, a much more subtle goal is not just to transplant the Russian from news about the Ukrainian war on news about the war in some distant and incomprehensible deserts, but to do this with maximum caution, retaining the structure of the imaginary world in which the Russian is used to living. After all, this structure explains both the inadmissibility of civil political action within the country, and crime is not just an attempt on power, but even any critical questions about its actions.

In order to force the Russians to empathize with the troubles of Donbass and gloated about the failures of the “Svidomo”, did not experience propaganda - Ukraine is nearby. Most Russians have not learned to perceive it seriously as an independent and independent country. There is a fraternal people (maybe, with the exception of Lviv with the environs). And even at all - our people. Their. Talking in Russian and the “mow”, over which it is so nice to make fun, turning except perhaps in a nationalist frenzy. In this scheme, interference in other people's affairs looks natural. Moreover, our external enemy is also common. It’s just that he managed to win, perhaps for a while.

With the Arabs who kill each other, do not understand where, everything is wrong. Damascus is not Donbass. We do not have a common story and a common language. And the worst thing for promotion is that the external enemy there is now also an ally. We are fighting against ISIS * . And the Americans are fighting against ISIS * . Bad, ineffective and wrong. But they are fighting.

The Special Corps of Russia-24 Evgeny Poddubny conducts a report from the theater of military operations: Damascus or Donetsk? September 28, 2015
The logic of world building propaganda is not afraid of contradictions - in the world of the viewer there is no “yesterday” at all, only one eternal “now”. On August 4, 2015, television channels broadcast the Kremlin’s official statement: “The participation of Russian troops in the Syrian conflict is excluded. Aviation of Russia will also not participate in the air attack of ISIS * together with the United States. ” None of the TV presenters remembered these words, commenting on the performance of the head of the presidential administration Sergei Ivanov in the Federation Council on September 30. Ivanov briefly sketched a scheme explaining the need to fight in Syria. “We are talking exclusively about the national interests of the Russian Federation” - this time. The number of Russian citizens who are fighting on the side of ISIS * grows "not by the day, but by the hour," these are two. If they do not stop them while they fight against the legitimate president of Assad, they will return and will kill Russians here - these are three. Ivanov, on behalf of Vladimir Putin, asked the SF on permission to use Russian troops abroad. The resolution gave the resolution, and after a few hours the Russian Air Force struck the city of Homs ( see page 20 ).

The news of the beginning of the war seems to have found everyone by surprise. But it was necessary to just watch TV carefully. On September 27, in Vesti of the Week, Dmitry Kiselev almost verbatim anticipated the speech of Sergei Ivanov in front of the senators. Its transfer-like all information and analytical programs on meter channels that day-was devoted mainly to preparations for Putin’s performance in the UN. No Donbass. Somewhere at the very end-a modest story about the new ridiculous decisions of the unlucky Ukrainian leadership. And the first material is the cutting of personnel from the Syrian war, interspersed with the installation, program commentary of the TV presenter. “The most important topic is Syria ... This is our most important ally, who directly, as Putin says,“ in the territory ”, resists the terrorist“ Islamic state ” * . The United States wants to overthrow Assad, and "in this sense" they are "on one line of the front with the barbarians." “Russia understands that if the Assad government is falling, then the terrorists will be freed for further advancement in our direction ... Therefore, it is better to stop the savages there.” “Thousands of immigrants from the countries of the former USSR, including Russians, who are howling ISIS * were also mentioned. And again: "It is better to neutralize them there." Kiselev announced the war three days before the decision of the Council.

This is the frame of the new propaganda scheme: we protect ourselves from the real threat of the invasion of terrorists (by the way, in fact, much more real than the “invasion of the right -wingers”, which the same Kiselev scared the viewers from time to time more recently). Assad is ours. It is therefore indispensable, which is the last stronghold of confrontation with terrorists. The Americans created an extremely ineffective coalition to combat ISIS * , because they "do not scare the spread of terrorism in our direction." "They are far away, and we live in this hemisphere." In June, Vladimir Putin proposed creating a real, effective coalition. Time has come.

Putin's performance king at the UN General Assembly is also a product for internal use, raw materials for propaganda interpretations. On September 28, a counter was launched on the Russia-24 channel, which counted a minute before the meeting. The atmosphere was bent as best they could, and it was no coincidence that Putin said the main words, which were so lacking in the new propaganda image of the world. Repeating the proposal to create the right coalition to combat ISIS * , he compared it to the anti -Hitler, and the Islamists with the Nazis: both "sow evil and antiquity." Which, by the way, is true.

Then there was an endless series of comments on all channels. The usual characters, who have thought about the affairs of Ukrainian in the company of Vladimir Solovyov and Peter Tolstoy, have suddenly experts in the Middle East. Irina Yarovaya called Putin's speech "the position of the highest dignity." Igor Korotchenko kicked Barack Obama - "it was the speech of the loser." In short, the head of the News Media holding Aram Gabrelyanov spoke out. He wrote on Twitter during Putin's speech: "Pride !!!" And a little later: "Leader of the world !!!"

After the official announcement of the start of the military operation, the patriotic delight in the TV replaced with enthusiasm for the militarist, and the new series turned into the series familiar: as the heroic militia of Donbass, President Assad. In the role of the Nazi junta - "Barbarian caliphate." Also, in fact, Nazi. And Russia is already without hesitation, protecting itself from a terrorist threat, performs on the side of the forces of good. Not just like that, but at the request of the legitimate authorities of Syria. Unlike some impostors.

The joy of recognition on September 28 on the air of Russia-24 appeared a story about battles on the outskirts of Damascus. Correspondent Evgeny Poddubny is a familiar report from Donetsk. It has the same helmet and the same body armor. Around - heroic militias (he speaks of Assad’s fighters: “In fact, the same militias”). They are just a little more dark than the heroes of Donbass familiar to the viewer. Although, perhaps, this is a powder soot. And their callsigns are Arabic, still alien to the Russian ear. Instead of snow - sand. And the ruins, so similar to the ruins of the Donetsk airport. However, all ruins are similar.

Since September 30, television shots have been on television, instead of the camera-the optical-television sight, what the pilot sees in front of a bomb hit. Cubes of houses. Explosion. A slight victory. Constantine Kosachev already managed, slightly ahead of the events, to call the operation in Syria the “success of Russia” and at the same time “bone in the throat for the West”.

This is the offer to the viewer from the propagandists at the moment: the maximum familiarity of the new landscapes. Old words to describe a new war. Pride. The usual patriotic delight. The external enemy, who is still not entirely enemy, shameful, by virtue of his inability. And that enemy who is completely enemy is destroyed live.

In the default zone-firstly, the price of the war. In rubles. The question “how much does it cost” no one in the TV is trying to set. Secondly, the prospects of losses on our part. Moreover, information about military losses in peacetime is classified as a special decree of the president in May. And thirdly, almost forgotten by the inhabitants of large cities, a sense of fear of the possibility of a terrorist attack. The very terrorist attack that would be so appropriate in the new-old propaganda picture of the world.

* ISIS, or IG (“Islamic State”), is prohibited in the Russian Federation as a terrorist group. Photo: Youtube.com, Instagram/evgeny.poddubny