Relying on our sources, we tried to assess if the information about the “сhange of gag orders” on Russian TV is truthful, as for transferring ‘Kyiv junta’ into the category of negotiable partners, as well as in banning some notorious personages who used to be the symbol of Vladimir Putin’s ‘Novorossiya venture’.

A though monitoring revealed a funny result: within the period of 4 to 22 September, the term ‘junta’ was encountered few times, once it was referred to by Mikhail Leontyev (a host hard to control even by his direct principals’) in his ‘Odnako’ programme, in the rest of cases in the programmes aired by ‘Ekho Moskvy’ radio station.

Moreover, the term was used in discussions with the people who are usually labeled as ‘the friends of junta’ or ‘traitors of the nation’ in today’s Russia. These were Dmitriy Bykov, Irina Petrovskaya, Nikolay Svanidze and others, who mainly discussed the NTV films about junta’s friends, that is about themselves, and therefore could hardly avoid using the Spanish word. That’s a funny story.

Then we decided to monitor the use of the word ‘Strelkov’ on federal channels within the same period. We spotted only one full fledged reference that occurred in ‘Vesti’ news programme on Rossiya channel, when he blamed the Ukrainian side for shooting down the Malaysian Boeing.

These seemingly positive changes are in fact only a confirmation of a well known fact that a propaganda in Russia is set up in a remote control mode. It’s just one click, and even the return of Crimea can be represented as another huge victory of Vladimir Putin.

Overall, it all remains the same. LNR and DNR on Russian channels have not transformed back into Luhansk and Donetsk regions. This would not match the whole idea of creating a terrorist enclave on the territory of a sovereign state. However, the enthusiasm that surrounded separatist bosses has gone down, the unhealthy fuss around Mr Girkin served a good lesson, and now the top management of terrorist bands looks a big heap of technical characters all merged into one. They are only needed to voice demands and feature at Minsk talks. Looks like a kind of a puppet theatre with the puppets easily replaced at any needed moment.

The federal channels go on playing a part of spokespeople for the actual place of arms of the Russian aggressor forces on another state’s occupied territory which function under the cover of the fake ‘people’s republics’.

Very recently there have been attempts to render some ideological grounding to all these mythological setups.

In early August, a widely known film director and ‘Mosfilm’ CEO Karen Shakhnazarov suddenly decided to raise the issue of supporting the mythological ‘Novorossiya’, to make his own contribution into the cause of its legitimizing in the aspect of cultural ideology. Below is his quotation:

«The people who live and fight in Novorossiya have an inner hope to set up an ideal society. A truly New Russia, with no oligarchs, no corruption, a miraculous Earthly Kingdom. This is quite typical for the current situation, there are so many idealists there in the highest sense of the word. Should this idea be shaped politically, then Novorossiya would make it much easier in dealing with the rest of Ukraine. Because there will be many Ukrainians who will support this idea. Currently, both parties are thinking of this war as a conflict between Russians and Ukrainians. Yet, had another social idea been declared, i.e. setting up an ideal kingdom, the other side of the conflict would have viewed the conflict quite differently. I don’t know how feasible it is. But it is beautiful and calls for respect».

It is unclear what made a fairly good film director get in this scrape and what he has been through to publicly defame himself in this disgraceful situation. The sense of this performance for his  patrons was obviously to restore the flow of the volunteers who – after watching retro serials – imagined Soviet times to be something like the ‘perfect kingdom’.

By that moment it could be seen that the effort of those volunteers, local criminals and lumpens, and Caucasian contractors was not enough to get the upper hand in the conflict. Therefore, the regular units of paratroopers were sent into action, thus the idea of the promised land slowly faded away. These facts did not get in the way of TV propaganda who kept on creating the vision of ethereal Novorossiya and would consistently refer to Russian paratroopers and contractors as ‘people’s volunteer units’.

‘The stock of hatred’ is re-filled by Russian TV even during the ceasefire period. Luckily, there always are characters whose existence is impossible to check but who are always ready to witness the atrocities of the Ukrainian army, the use of ‘phosphorus bombs’, etc. Interestingly, they will do it only in front of Russian federal channels’ cameras. In case such characters could not be found, there is an unfailing formula ‘the army of the self-proclaimed republic is reporting the following details’. Not to be disputed.

Some original terms like ‘the radicals of the National Guard’ are encountered, which leads to the conclusion that the National Guard also has conservatives and liberals there.

«First Channel», «News», 18.09.2014, 09:00

«According to the authorities of Novorossiya, the following data of losses among civilians on Wednesday were made public.

Тhe ceasefire agreement was breached during the whole day, with firings of unprecedented intensity.

Eleven people were killed in and around Donetsk. The army of the self-proclaimed republic is providing the following details: Ukrainian enforcement units fired the residential areas in Khanzhenkovo, Kirovskoye. In Zuyevka the districts were fired by ‘Grad’ volley fire machines. The capital of the self-proclaimed republic also suffered massive firing. The airport is in the centre of events. Shooting damaged some gas pipelines. Residential areas are significantly damaged.

Meanwhile, the authorities of the towns which went under Kyiv’s control before Minsk agreements, decided to support their residents in a weird way. Instead of restoring the ruined infrastructure, they are raising the morale by calls from APC. One of them appeared in a square in Slavyansk a couple of days ago.

"Citizens of Slovyansk! Brothers Ukrainians! The Ukrainian army came to your town to restore peace and order, to bring back safety and alleviate anxiety for your families", says the announcement.

Dmitriy Tymchuk, head of the so called ‘informational resistance’ claimed the morale is low not only among civilians but among soldiers as well. He was the source of information on ATO for the people who live in Kyiv, central and western parts of Ukraine. At a press conference in Kyiv, one of the main ideologists of war in Donbas, Tymchuk said that there were no more resources left to continue hostilities”.

‘Rossiya’ TV Channel, ‘Vesti’, 18.09.2014, 20:40

“Donetsk residents will not believe Kyiv: they are bombed with phosphorus

(by Evgeniy Poddubniy. Источник: http://www.vesti.ru/news/.)

Since today’s morning, Donetsk residents have been reporting firings of Kievskiy district and the area of Abakumov mine. The source of the firing is obviously located at the airport. Our team obtained the evidence of both the firing that continues and of the banned weapons used by Kyiv, phosphorus bombs.

During the ceasefire period, there turned up new evidence of phosphorus weapons used by the Ukrainian army. These unexploded 152 mm firecrackers were found in Stepanovka, not far from Snezhin.

The main component here is phosphorus. Local military men show how it works, phosphorus has for the most part been extracted.

"Look, what the temperature is, the land is on fire, just imagine a human getting into that,” a justice campaigner is indignant.

Bomb technicians can’t understand why Ukrainian army fires residential areas with firecrackers. Down the hill, among ordinary weapons, there are dozens of phosphorus bombs.

The Ukrainian army keeps on shooting upon the positions of people’s military units and residential areas of DNR. We have a video from a drone.

In the airport area clashes go on every day. Ukrainian units are trying to break out of the encirclement. Then the Ukrainian army’s artillery starts firing with bombs getting to the outskirts of Donetsk.

There are explosions in Petrovskiy and Kievskiy districts. The intensity of fire is growing, and so is growing the disappointment in the Ukrainian army’s actions”.

Within the period in question something unheard of happened. “First Channel” admitted the death of ONE Russian soldier at Donbas. Of course, it was his initiative to come to Donbass, he went there on vacation and did not tell anyone about his plans. There also was mentioned Stanislav Zhdanovich, a former military man, who died at the end of May:

«First Channel», «News», 04.09.2014, 21:00

«Kostroma said goodbye to Anatoliy Travkin, a paratrooper killed in action in eastern Ukraine.

(The author is not mentioned.) Today, Kostroma said goodbye to Anatoliy Travkin. About a month ago to went to Donbas and was killed in action. He did not tell anyone of his plans, he was officially on vacation.He was 28.

"It’s very sad to lose young guys. But I’m proud of the fact that there are boys in our provincial towns who aren’t indifferent to the things that are happening now. They follow the call of their heart and do what they should," says veteran paratrooper Mikhail Kozlov.

In Elektrogorsk near Moscow people remembered Sergey Zhdanovich who was killed in Donetsk in May. Lately, Segey worked in the Union of Afghanistan Veterans. Sergey is said to be always dreaming of serving in the army. At 18 he was enrolled into the navy, he then served in special militia units. He had an experience in hot points. When the conflict in Ukraine started he could not keep aloof.

"It was his conscious decision taken on the spot. He did what every real man should do. We are proud of him,” says Sergey’s widow Larissa.

The stories of horrible right sector fascists are still there. They are wearing uniforms with Nazi symbols (I wish I could see a photo, although to make it up is no problem now). The attention is drawn by the rigid stylistics of the reports and by nameless witnesses ready to sign up for people’s military units right in the middle of the interview. 

«First Channel», «News», 05.09.2014, 09:00

“Ukrainian enforcement units started firing the centre of Donetsk, a team of REN TV reporters was fired.

Reporter Timur Siraziev: It is very dangerous for journalists to work at the ATO zone. In Donetsk, a group of REN TV reporters was fired, luckily no one was killed. The Ukrainian army was firing the city from morning till late at night. 5 civilians were killed, many buildings severely ruined.

After the long shooting is over, the people still remain at the bomb shelter. It is stuffy, hot but relatively safe in there, people are still to see what has remained of their houses.

"I have never wanted to tell the authorities in Kyiv that I hate them. But now I do. Therefore I’ll sign up for people’s military units", says a Donetsk resident. Silence is torn by a woman’s cry. Nine people who had been holding on believing they would survive, were killed by the bombs of the Ukrainian army.

The people whose parents lived in the country which saved the world from nazi nightmare raise nazi flags. This is a video of Ukrainian enforcement unit training. Everyone is wearing a badge of ‘Azov’ battalion and ‘Praviy sektor’ symbol. On their helmets that is a fascist swastika and an SS symbol, the symbol of the nazi troops who burnt down villages, raped and killed. 69 years later, ‘Praviy sektor’ militants, sporting a nazi uniform, took up weapons and promise their hand won’t tremble.

People’s fighters know who they struggle with. ’Azov’ hopes won’t come true in the nearest future. Donbas fighters go on attacking the position of National Guard at Mariupol. The advancement of Donbass fighters was recorded. The footage shows the people’s militants using heavy artillery on the Ukrainian army as there are no towns or villages in the vicinity. ‘Azov’ commander admitted on his internet page they had lost that battle.

Mariupol is occupied by the Ukrainian army. There is a backup coming from Kramatorsk where other units are based.

Donbass fighters are conducting serious battles at the town of Debaltsevo. Halfway from Luhansk to Donetsk. The Ukrainian army started their retreat. DNR forces managed to occupy the villages of Zheltoe and Krasniy Yar.”

Russian TV propaganda people shudder when they hear the word ‘propaganda’. The position of some Ukrainian parties that are participating in parliamentary elections is interpreted in a way which would seem quite exotic to any informed Ukrainian viewer. For example, Anatoliy Gritsenko’s ‘Grazhdanskaya pozitsiya’ are called “Russophobiacs prone to terrorism” (?!). Nothing surprising though, as the purpose of the reports is not to inform but to scare Russian viewers used to their TV people’s wildest imagination.

‘Rossiya’ TV Channel, “Vesti”, 08.09.2014, 21:09

“Verkhvna Rada of a new session: radicals craving power

(by Anton Podkovenko, retrieved from: http://www.vesti.ru/news/.)

Ukrainian radicals are craving power. "Praviy sektor" is to fight for placed in the Ukrainian parliament at October elections. One of the publicized propositions is a free access to weapons. There was a criminal case started against Dmytro Yarosh, the Praviy sector leader, in Russia, while Interpol has put him on an international wanted list.

"Praviy sector" are participating in the parliamentary race. On October 26, the people of Ukraine will choose the lawmakers. The nationalists who turned Slavyansk and Kramatorsk into ruins are registered as a political party. Analysts say, Kyiv is repaying debts.

"Poroshenko, Turchinov, Yatsenyuk do not have any other choice because ‘Praviy sektor’ supported them at Maidan. But later it will compromise the Rada", saysbLeonid Polyakov, professor of Higher School of Economics University in Moscow.

The programme of the party emphasizes the integrity of Ukraine, the restoration of the economy, and giving people the right to carry and keep weapons", which is very much in line with the party’s policies. Dmytro Yarosh said his people were ready to come to Kyiv and do away with the ‘lawlessness of militia’. Militia officers detained his gunmen in Kyiv for robberies, battery, marauding.

Even Ukrainian political scientists point out that the very possibility of extreme forces getting into parliament is an evidence of the uncertain standpoint of the Ukrainian authorities and the immaturity of parliament.

Verkhovna Rada does not look like a democratic institution even now. For instance, ‘Svoboda’ party has 11 % of parliamentary seats. Four years ago the party was labeled ‘xenophobic’ and ‘anti-Semitist’ by the European parliament. Svoboda members pushed the ban on the Communist party of Ukraine blaming it for supporting people’s military units in the east of Ukraine. Currently, they are pressing upon the court who are trying the case. Yarosh talks of his opponents carefully. "We are no enemies with Svoboda but our standpoints are not so close as to speak of some unity,” he says.

Extreme right forces are already in parliament. Does that mean there will be even more radical people there? The future Rada is rather scary. According to experts, ‘Poroshenko’s Block’ has most chances to get into parliament. The most liberal part of Ukrainian society will vote for them, about 30%.

The remaining seats will be fought for by the groups ideologically similar to ‘Praviy Sektor’, like the party of the extravagant leader Oleg Lyashko, a hero of gay scandals and a sponsor of ‘Ukrayina’ battalion.

Former defense minister Anatoliy Gritsenko can count on about 10%, similarly to Lyashko. His electors are “Russophobics prone to terrorism”, as analysts say. The blocks of Yatsenyuk and Tymoshenko, which are separate niw, are also likely to get in.

Verkhovna Rada is likely to be quite radical. It is hard to hope that the whole spectrum of political forces will be represented there”.

Many viewers remember Donbas fighters rushing to get away with Russian ‘Grads’ from the area of the Malaysian Boeing catastrophe. Not for nothing. The time has passed, and now an attempt – however clumsy – can be made to whitewash themselves. Here, a recent hero Girkin and a current Prime Minister can be made a good use of:

“Rossiya” TV channel, «Vesti», 09.09.2014, 13:15

«DNR: our troops have no weapons that could out down a Boeing"

(Author not mentioned. Retrieved from: http://www.vesti.ru/news/.)

DNR PM Aleksandr Zakharchenko insists on the fact that DNR troops have no weapons that could put down a Boeing.

The federal channels news are used for classic stove piping meant to prevent international assessment undesirable for the Kremlin, or to distract attention from real events, or to discredit Ukraine in the opinion of the world community.

It should be noted that at times some not very well thought over statements by Ukrainian politicians provide convenient ground for such speculations.

“Rossiya” TV Channel, ‘Vesti’, 11.09.2014, 20:10

«DNR: Ukrainian military are preparing a a provocation at Slavyansk

(the author is not mentioned, retrieved from: http://www.vesti.ru/news/.)

Two trucks loaded with barrels marked ‘dangerous chemical substance’ arrived in the region of Slavyansk. The trucks were accompanied by units of chemical defense of Ukraine. The DNR army headquarters believe the materials can be used to imitate a technological disaster or to blame Donbas people’s military units for using poisonous substances.

The liquid kept in the barrels belongs to strong poisons that cause suffocation and high probability of death in case of contact. "The purpose of shipping the chemical substance is being clarified,” said a representative of DNR army headquarters. “According to a source in ATO headquarters, the chemical substance can be used against civilians in an area controlled by Ukrainian army which lies close to DNR positions. The fact of using the substance is to be registered by OSCE and Amnesty International, which will create the legal grounds for western countries to acknowledge DNR as a terrorist organization and list its commanders as internationally wanted".

According to another Ukrainian source, "the substance is likely to be used for a ‘safe’ imitation of a anthropogenic disaster and involving military experts from the West to eliminate its consequences and then to get them to stay in the conflict zone for much longer".

Kyiv authorities have been conducting an enforcement operation in the east of Ukraine aimed against Donbas residents who are unhappy with the coup that occurred in Kyiv in February. According to UN, from mid April to 27 August, over 2.5 thousand civilians were killed in Ukraine, about 6 thousand wounded. Moscow refers to the operation as 'punitive' and calls on the world’s community to take all the necessary steps to cease fire».

 «Rossiya» TV Channel, «Vesti», 15.09.2014, 21:30

«Nuclear Blackmail: Geletey scares with a nuclear bomb

(by Anton Lyadov, retrieved from: http://www.vesti.ru/news/.)

According to DNR army, on 15 September, Ukrainian military broke the ceasefire agreement seven times. Donetsk and the area were bombed. Ukrainian Ministry of Defense points out Ukraine is getting ready to develop nuclear weapons, allegedly to protect the country from Russian intervention.

Earlier, the development of Ukrainian nuclear weapons was a matter of speculations. Meanwhile, today Valeriy Geletey, minister of defense, says: "I already drew your attention to the fact that Russia threatens us with applying tactical nuclear weapon. If the world fails to help us on that, we’ll have to return to developing this weapon on our own".  The minister did not give any evidence of Russian threats but let know that nuclear weapon is the sole way to resurrect the Ukrainian army. Obviously, the process has already started. "We decided to build more nuclear power plants in Ukraine. By the end of this year we will have signed an agreement on constructing extra blocks at nuclear power stations,” said PM Yatsenyuk.

According to experts, Ukraine has all needed to develop nuclear weapons. "Ukraine’s nuclear potential is very high,” says a Dybny physicist Andrey Papek. “The country has lots of highly qualified physicists who have stayed in Ukraine since the times of the USSR collapse. Ukraine has one of the biggest uranium deposits at Zheltye Vody in Dnepropetrovsk region. There are engineers, personnel, technicians who know how to work on nuclear reactors".

According to the nuclear map of Ukraine, uranium is processed on three plants, there are five nuclear plants in operation now, the one in Zaporozhye is the biggest in Europe. Nuclear fuel is supplied to the plant by Westinghouse company. Ukraine has gone for the American WestingHouse as a principal supplier of nuclear fuel.

The American company is planning to participate in constructing nuclear power reactors in Ukraine and to increase shipment of nuclear fuel to Ukraine.

Minister Geletey did not give a direct answer on when to expect the start of the project. Nevertheless, according to experts, the work could have started as early as in March this year. This is when Verkhovna Rada MPs from Batkivschyna and Udar parties offered to make an open statement on the development of nuclear weapons. Sergey Kaplin MP gave an interview on how long it would take Ukraine to become a nuclear state: 2 years and 3.4 billion USD.

Ukraine also has the means to ship nuclear weapons. Ukraine has airplanes used to carry nuclear bombs, and a tactical rocket system that can carry a nuclear warhead.

Ukraine produced a lot of means of nuclear weapon shipment at the times of the USSR. Intercontinental ballistic vehicles used by the Soviet army were developed by Yuzhnoe construction bureau in Dnipropetrovsk. The plant is still developing some rocket carriers at ‘Yuzhmash’ facility.

Georgiy Kryuchkov, an expert on the issues of safety and defense, says that Ukraine has a very important rocket facility, and technically it won’t be a problem for Ukraine to develop nuclear weapons. All the country needs is time.

European partners do not comment on Geletey’s sensational statement. Russian experts are sure that if the West goes on supporting Ukrainian authorities, which can put these ideas into practice, Kyiv can get totally out of control».

The topic of international sanctions against Russia is viewed by federal TV channels only in the following interpretations:

-     Europe is suffering from the sanctions imposed onto Russia and from the sanctions introduced by Russia against Europe, which is leading to a split within Europe and to the abolition of the sanctions in the nearest future;

-   there is also the SCO which supposedly supports Russia, which means that international isolation is out of question;

-   increasing economic problems can be solved on our own, which is what Mr Putin says too.

«First Channel», «News», 09.09.2014, 18:00

«The EU is likely to head for a new split

By Mikhail Akinchenko: the apple of discord now is an issue of new sanctions against Russia.

A set of new sanctions has been agreed, still its introduction is being postponed due to the objections of several countries, including Finland, Italy, the Czech Republic, Cyprus. The governments of these countries are dissatisfied, fearing consequences for their economies».

«First Channel», «News», 10.09.2014, 21:00

«As experts warned, the sanctions had a negative impact on the economy of EU countries

(Presenter is not named.) A part of companies in Austria had to introduce part-time jobs for their employees. Sole proprietors are looking for new markets for their products. The country will lose estimated 800 million EUR as a result of the sanctions, 11 thousand people will lose jobs.

In Germany there are calls to refuse from introducing new sanctions and abolish the existing ones. This was stated by Gregor Gysi, leader of the Left Party faction, who said that the sanctions have a negative impact on new lands in particular. 80% of Germany’s export to Russia belongs to new lands. This will dramatically affect Germany’s economy. NATO summit’s decisions are totally counterproductive.

As for the Russian President’s speeches and their persuasiveness, let’s quote a short but very representative parody which allegedly belongs to Ivan Davydov, deputy editor-in-chief of ‘Slon’ internet edition:

«In reply to a new set of sanctions from the EU and USA, the Russian President issued a decree, according to which every Russian citizen had to put out one of his/her eyes.

84 % of the Russians supported a new decree of the government.

— I can’t believe now how I managed to survive with two eyes, this is such a hard excess, Ulyana Troublova writes in her column in Komsomolskaya Pravd daily.

— We had to refuse from this two-eyedness imposed on us by the West long ago, political scientist Sergey Darkov says. The expert also points out that an important constituent of this decision is its democratic nature: each Russian can freely decide which eye to put out, the left or right one.

Philospher Aleksandr Freakin said that one-eyedness is a key Eurasian value, and the great warrior Subedey-bagatur could introduce Russian princes to the truly Eurasian ideas because he lacked one eye.

Besides, the Russian production of monocles has had a great boost now to significantly increase capacities».

The monitoring is carried out by NGO “Тelekrytyka” supported by the USAID funding provided through the ‘Internews Network’ in the framework of U-Media Program.