By the Crimean Human Rights Group
To incite hatred against Ukrainians the russian public speakers regularly speculate on the religious issues. The research “Unmasking russian propagandists” reveals some key narratives to incite the hatred against Ukrainians through the religious beliefs.
- The Ukrainians are named to be “satanists, disbelievers, or anti-Christ servants”;
- The Ukrainians are blamed for destruction of ‘the canonical Orthodoxy”, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is called “Union” and its congregation – unionists and renegades;
- It is claimed that russia allegedly fights in Ukraine against “anti-Christ elements who seized the power in the country”;
- It is stated that russia in Ukraine protects its orthodox values and “saves” Ukrainians from being possessed by devil;
- It is urged that russia in Ukraine fights the sacred war and protects its religious identity from “satanism” of the collective West.
One of the main mouthpieces of the religious hostility is Roman GOLOVANOV who identifies himself as the orthodox journalist. He is TV presenter at the channel “Spas” (“Saviour”) which specializes in such kind of hostility.
Yet another “religious actor” is Andriy TKACHOV who names himself to be protopriest, at the same time he constantly spreads the religious hatred against Ukrainians.
In one of his statements cited on the “Politnavigator” site, TKACHOV maintains that “ideological Ukry [dismissively] are demons” and urges to eradicate them “to zero and by roots”.
The religious hostility in combination with the incitement to destroy Ukrainians are permanently spread by one of the russian military commanders – Ramzan KADYROV.
In his statements the Ukrainians are Banderites and shaitans who need to be destroyed, and the war of russia against Ukraine is “deshaitanization” or “great jihad”.
Similar narrative is echoed by russian TV presenter, Sergiy KARNAUKHOV, in its program “Labirynth of Karnaukhov”. He claims the russian war against Ukraine to be “metaphysical war and fight against demons”, while the russian soldiers “are saint people who fight a sacred war”.
Oleksandr DUGIN is another popular russian actor who claims to be philosopher and incites hatred against Ukrainians, inter alia, through religious narratives.
For instance, being on the air of SOLOVYOV LIVE, he declared all Ukrainians to be russians possessed by demons and urged to conquer whole Ukraine in order to “free the people from demons and return it home”.
Pavlo GUBARIEV, the militant leader at the occupied Donbass, echoes this narrative. In his telegram channel he declares Ukrainians to be “russians possessed by devil” and urges to kill Ukrainians up until “they understand they are possessed and need treatment”.
The religious hostility is spread as well by some quasi-religious russian organizations.
For instance, in the public statement on the site of “the World’s russian people’s Assembly” the war by russia against Ukraine is called “Sacred war by russia and its people which seek to protect the whole holy space of the Saint Rus, “to hold” and to save the world from the pressure of globalism and the West possessed by Satan”.
The prejudices spread through the religious hostility are further echoed by other russian influencers inciting to completely or partially destruction of Ukrainians. The religious prejudices and the myths made up by russian propaganda are meant to justify these public incitements.
Besides, the religious hostility is among arguments justifying the incitements to completely or partially conquer the territory of Ukraine or to destroy the Ukrainian state.
The Crimean Rights Group has recorded at least 24 incitements of the kinds.
At least 22 russian actors, who spread the incitements to destroy Ukrainians or to seize the territory of Ukraine and known for spread of the religious hostility, are identified:
BULATOV Marat Ravilievich
VESELOVSKIY Sergiy Mykhaylovych
GUBARIEV Pavlo Yuriyovych
DUGIN Oleksandr Gielievych
ZHURAVLIOV Oleksiy Oleksandrovych
KADYROV Ramzan Akhmatovych
KAZAKOV Oleksandr Yuriyovych
KAZAKOV Petro
KAMKIN Oleksandr Konstantynovych
KARNAUKHOV Sergiy Sergiyovych
MARDAN (KLIUCHENKOV) Sergiy Oleksandrovych
MARKOV Igor Olegovych
MARMAZOV Ruslan Leonidovych
MATVIYCHEV Oleg Anatoliyovych
PRYLIEPIN Yevhen (Zakhar) Mykolayovych
ROGOV Volodymyr Valeriyovych
SATANOVSKIY Yevhen Yanovych
SKACHKO Volodymyr Sergiyovych
SOLOVYOV Volodymyr Rudolfovych
TKACHOV Andriy Yuriyovych
SHEININ Artem Grygorovych
YUKHIN Sergiy Vyacheslavovych
The information resources whereon the recorded religious hostility was spread are the following:
Rutube
Smotrim.ru
Krym 24
PERVYI
PERVYI RESPUBLIKANSKII
PolitNavigator
Radio station “VESTI FM ”
Russia 1
Site “ World’s russian people’s Assembly ”
SOLOVYOV.Live
TELEGRAM
TV channel “ZVEZDA”
ТV channel “SPAS” / Saviour
ТV channel 360°
The examples of the incitements recorded and bearing the religious hostility are available at the site of the Crimean Human Rights Group in the data base “ Unmasking russian propagandists” vie link : https://tinylink.net/UOLON
