The Wall Street Journal spoke to several Russian soldiers who surrendered to Ukraine and were taken prisoner in the early days of Ukraine’s offensive. The outlet confirmed the identities of the prisoners of war, but withheld their surnames and identifying pictures in their report. The men, “a mix of professionals, conscripts, and mercenaries” describe intense pressure from Russian military command and authorities in Russia to fight at any cost.
One captured Russian soldier says he worries about what will happen if he is returned to Russia in a prisoner swap. “If I have the opportunity, I’ll refuse to be exchanged." Another fighter reported that a doctor declared him unfit for combat after he was wounded in March, but his commander ordered him back to the front.
Propaganda is pretty effective no matter where you are in the world. It’s why many soldiers can do horrible shit to civilians in occupied territory and only later realize that they did something terrible. Here’s hoping we start hearing about Russian mutinies from more soldiers with similar realizations.
I have a Russian friend and no matter what, i can’t make him understand he is believing in propaganda. He says he wouldn’t want to betray his whole family. I hope someday he understands.
I know exactly what you mean. I live since 10 years in #China and it is unbelievable what people think when they have no access to independent news. Even if they got access after some time, they’re not going to believe it, because it’s so different from what they got thought the reality is.
History has been teaching us painfully often how quick people give up their individual believes for the sake of a centralised propaganda machine. It’d be very dangerous to think we are immune to it imho.
It’s easy to be skeptical of propaganda from the outside looking in, but once your immersed in it then it can be difficult to parse out reality from fiction.
Case in point look at shockingly large percentage of americans, many even from the north, who will argue the civil war was a matter of states rights. Hell the US went to war against Iraq and it initially had strong support because we were still reeling from 9/11.
It’s important to always keep in mind that NOBODY is immune to propoganda or group think, nobody is above the narrative, and the people who think they are tend to be particularly vulnerable.
I legit started studying social psychology to understand this and similar phenomena. It’s going slow but I hope to have a working understanding Ina few years.
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How can they just barely begin to understand this. I know the propaganda machine goes hard but not that hard
Propaganda is pretty effective no matter where you are in the world. It’s why many soldiers can do horrible shit to civilians in occupied territory and only later realize that they did something terrible. Here’s hoping we start hearing about Russian mutinies from more soldiers with similar realizations.
I have a Russian friend and no matter what, i can’t make him understand he is believing in propaganda. He says he wouldn’t want to betray his whole family. I hope someday he understands.
I know exactly what you mean. I live since 10 years in #China and it is unbelievable what people think when they have no access to independent news. Even if they got access after some time, they’re not going to believe it, because it’s so different from what they got thought the reality is.
History has been teaching us painfully often how quick people give up their individual believes for the sake of a centralised propaganda machine. It’d be very dangerous to think we are immune to it imho.
Certainly explains the push for de-centralized social media.
I mean, propaganda doesn’t need to be 100% effective to be damaging.
Look at the world’s oldest propaganda medium, religion.
It’s easy to be skeptical of propaganda from the outside looking in, but once your immersed in it then it can be difficult to parse out reality from fiction.
Case in point look at shockingly large percentage of americans, many even from the north, who will argue the civil war was a matter of states rights. Hell the US went to war against Iraq and it initially had strong support because we were still reeling from 9/11.
It’s important to always keep in mind that NOBODY is immune to propoganda or group think, nobody is above the narrative, and the people who think they are tend to be particularly vulnerable.
I legit started studying social psychology to understand this and similar phenomena. It’s going slow but I hope to have a working understanding Ina few years.