Like so many others across the world, Liquid has been shocked and saddened by the events unfolding in Ukraine over the last week. As a member agency of the PRCA, we are in support of its latest directive, led by Francis Ingram. 

There’s more than just the ongoing war on the ground. The comms war between Russia and Ukraine is also playing a huge role in the conflict. The Kremlin has always been the leader of propaganda and controlling the message, but this time, it is Ukraine who has the upper hand. 

Putin’s propaganda 

Before fighting began, propagandic techniques were well underway.   

Russian forces marching on the Ukraine border was repeatedly called a “training exercise” with Putin saying he had no plans to invade. Of course, this turned out not to be the case immediately putting the Russian government on the backfoot when it came to comms.  

The Russian accounts of the unfolding war have differed from that reported in the West too. BBC News posted comparison of the Russian coverage, which has called the offensive “a demilitarisation operation targeting military infrastructure”. 

Putin himself has been repeatedly shown sat in clinical settings at a long table, with ministers and other world leaders at the other end. His more polished press conferences a stark contrast from the on-the-ground footage from Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The everyday heroes 

Stories of sacrifice and heroism from the Ukrainian people are filling our news feeds. We’re seeing people staying behind wanting to fight. Zelenskyy himself, when offered an escape by the US said, “I need ammunition, not a ride.” 

Ukrainian boxers Vasiliy Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk are among Ukrainian fighters returning home amid Russian invasion, with countless people choosing to stay behind and fight for their country and their freedom.  

Meanwhile, Russian forces have been featured in videos posed to the Ukrainian security services’ Facebook page saying they don’t want the war and were “sent as cannon fodder” to “kill peaceful people”.

The sporting world 

Russia has become somewhat a sporting pariah. 

The Champions League final, set to be hosted in St. Petersburg, has now been moved to a new location. Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic issued a joint statement to FIFA saying they will not play Russia – with England following suit shortly after which led to both FIFA and UEFA to suspend the country for the foreseeable. 

Four-time F1 world champion, Sebastian Vettel, is among the drivers calling for the Sochi Grand Prix in September to be boycotted, and the International Olympic Committee banned Russian athletes from competing “until further notice”.

Social media 

Since the conflict began, Russia’s state media outlets, Russia Today and Sputnik, have had their social media access in the EU largely shut down. The moves from giants Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram), TikTok, and YouTube mark the greatest restrictions ever imposed on these outlets by social media companies. 

 “The state-owned Russia Today and Sputnik, and their subsidiaries, will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin’s war,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter. 

President of Global Policy at Meta, Nick Clegg, also Tweeted: “We have received requests from a number of Governments and the EU to take further steps in relation to Russian state controlled media. Given the exceptional nature of the current situation, we will be restricting access to RT and Sputnik across the EU at this time.” 

While anyone will tell you that you can’t always take the word in the media for gospel, it’s clear from what we are seeing in the Western press that Ukraine is leading in the comms war. It’s also clear, that the war of words and the war on the ground is far from over.  

We continue to hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the conflict, and our thoughts are of course with all of those whose lives have been lost, those who have lost loved ones, those who have lost their homes, and those who are living in this conflict zone.