tRUe Crime

In this episode, we discuss our analysis of how the Russian version of Wikipedia restricts access to information that is inconvenient for the regime while generating meanings that are favourable to the Kremlin.

The Hybrid Warfare Analytical Group’s (UCMC) analysts convene to delve into the realms of Russian disinformation, propaganda, and the influence of hybrid warfare in 2024. In these succinct podcast episodes, the team explores recent observations and analyses, sharing expert opinions and conclusions on the prevailing challenges within the information sphere today.

In this episode, we'll be delving into how deepfakes are not just a technological marvel but also a tool that nations, like Russia, are employing in the realm of propaganda. The intersection of fake news and AI has become a battleground where misinformation and manipulation thrive. 

Host: Varvara Shmygalova

Today, we will discuss how Russia exploits cybersports and video games to spread propaganda and gain benefits in the international arena. Also, we want to underline how Moscow uses the Russian club’s victories to empower its own authority. 

Host: Matt Wickham

Today, we will discuss the “trilateral initiative” of Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania to clear sea mines in the Black Sea. According to Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev, the operation aims to create a security belt for civilian shipping. The importance of this format is driven by the need to secure a corridor for Ukrainian grain exports. 

Also, we want to analyse the strategic impact on the regional security situation and Ukraine’s potential role in facilitating the operation.

Host: Varvara Shmygalova

In this episode, we will reveal and analyze the key aspects of the alternative reality that the Russian Federation has created around its cooperation with the DPRK, using Kim Jong-un's recent visit to Russia as an example. We will also decipher the messages that the Kremlin is attempting to convey to the international community through its cooperation with North Korea. 

Host: Matt Wickham

In this episode, we will explore how Russia leverages its school education system, particularly through recent educational reforms, to shape school children into compliant Russian subjects, preparing them to serve as obedient soldiers who, without hesitation, may be deployed to the frontlines of current and future wars initiated by Russia. Our focus will be on the reintroduction of Initial Military Training in schools, as a response to Russia's failures in Ukraine, and the youth groups designed to curb critical thinking and instill loyalty to the state!

Host: Varvara Shmygalova

Today, we will discuss the Russian-Armenian information struggle and how the Kremlin propaganda machine tries to benefit from returning Karabakh under Azerbaijan control.  So please take a deep breath, buckle up and delve into the Russian vision of their influence in the South Caucasus region!

Host: Matt Wickham

In this episode, we will explore how  Russia distorts history with its recent adaptation of Russia's history textbook written for 11th grade students. This revised edition places special emphasis on the decades following World War II, the establishment of the new international order, and the twenty-first century, a time frame that includes the so-called "Putin era." 

Host: Matt Wickham

In this episode we will identify the characteristics of apolitical meme during a war, taking a trip through political satire history, describing and reconstructing the "life path" of memes in Russian propaganda. This research will teach you about the origins and significance of memes in the Russian propaganda system.

Host: Matt Wickham

Today's topic of our conversation is  The 'Drug Addict' Smear Campaign Against Zelensky: Deconstructing Russian Propaganda Tactics. In this podcast we will take a look at what rhetoric Russian propagandists have taken to deliberately misrepresent the Ukrainian government.

Written by Matt Wickham

On August 19th, Russia launched a ballistic missile strike on Chernihiv, a neighboring oblast to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, resulting in seven fatalities, including a 6-year-old girl, and leaving 129 wounded. 

The strike was directed at the city center's theater, which was concurrently hosting an exhibition of Ukrainian drones, an event Russian propaganda is manipulating to make it seem like a legitimate target. 

Today's topic of our conversation is Africa and how Russia attempts to manipulate its position in this region as a great liberator and successor of the USSR. We will consider  Russian officials’ statements and examine if Russian rhetoric corresponds to reality.

With "tRUe Crime" podcast host Matt Wickham we'll uncover the tactics Russia uses to stigmatize and marginalize individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.

Today, we will discuss the current state of the Russian economy from the point of view of Russian researchers:

Let's explore together how the Russian economy functions as of now and if it indeed is as stable as Russian propaganda depicts.  

In this episode, you will learn:

Today, we will talk about sexism and misogyny in Russian propagandistic discourse and why it actually works for the domestic audience. So take a deep breath, and let’s go together into the woods of Russian propaganda!

Sexism, misogyny, and rape culture are so deeply ingrained in Russian information space that it can be seen even on the level of international politics.

Our podcast is dedicated to tackling russian hybrid threats and the tools of influence russian propaganda employs. 

We will kick off our first episode discussing Russian oppositionists and what is wrong with them, focusing on some of the most famous Russian oppositionists.