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Faces of Kremlin Propaganda: Maria Zakharova [1]

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Date: 2023-04 

A loyal Kremlin messenger and among the most enthusiastic purveyors of Russia’s disinformation and propaganda, Maria Zakharova has served as the Russian Foreign Ministry (MFA)’s spokesperson since 2015. She is the daughter of a Soviet diplomat and spent most of her childhood in Beijing, where her father served. Zakharova headed the press service of Russia’s mission to the United Nations in New York from 2005 to 2008 and was the deputy head of the MFA’s Press and Information Department from 2011 to 2015.

Zakharova is best known for her combative style, sarcastic tone, and extreme anti-Western sentiments. Her briefings routinely include undiplomatic outbursts, such as examples of threatening a journalist on live TV or responding angrily to uncomfortable questions. She does not shy away from repeating the most outlandish Kremlin lies, such as claiming the White House allegedly hosted Osama Bin Laden as an official guest, and sharing ominous messages, such as the video of Zakharova herself punching a dummy labeled “THE PRESS,” ostensibly in a show of support for Russia’s Olympians. Her combative style is one of the reasons her briefings garner thousands of views on YouTube, and her Facebook and Telegram accounts have over 500,000 followers each.

Denial as a Strategy

In the lead-up to Russia’s unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Zakharova spared no effort to deny that Russia had any plans for war, and repeatedly accused Western media of disinformation when they reported otherwise. She called reports of an imminent full-scale invasion “hysteria ” and falsely asserted that “the Anglo-Saxons need a war. At any cost.” Days before the invasion, Zakharova declared in a BBC interview that Russia’s reputation as an aggressor was “invented” by the West, and Russia “had not invaded the territory of Ukraine,” despite Russia’s 2014 invasion and occupation of Crimea and attempted seizure of eastern Ukraine. Aiming to discredit and mock media reports that exposed the Kremlin’s preparations for a massive military offensive in early February, Zakharova asked the U.S. and UK media to share the schedule of the planned further invasion so she could “plan my vacation.” Russia attacked Ukraine nine days later.

Since February 2022, Zakharova has played a key role in spreading Kremlin disinformation about the war, including denying Russia’s use of Iranian drones in Ukraine and rejecting evidence of war crimes and other atrocities committed by members of Russia’s military forces. She maintained that the reports of Russia using Iranian drones are “nothing more than a set of unfounded conclusions and far-fetched assumptions,” even after Russian Defense Ministry expert Ruslan Pukhov’s on-air admission that Russia is using Iranian drones to target civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. She continues to insist Russia has been “baselessly accused” of deliberately causing civilian casualties, despite documented evidence of war crimes committed by members of Russia’s military forces in Bucha and other locations in Ukraine. The New York Times and Reuters have independently confirmed civilians in Bucha were killed when Russia’s forces were in control of the town. Zakharova dismissed as a “lie” the mounting evidence from a variety of sources that Russian authorities have interrogated, detained, and/or forcibly deported between 900,000 and 1.6 million Ukrainian citizens.

Shifting Blame

Echoing the Kremlin’s unsubstantiated claims that Ukraine is preparing a “dirty bomb” in order to frame Moscow, Zakharova called on the West “to influence their Ukrainian protégés to abandon this most dangerous adventure.” She claimed that the goal of this alleged planned “provocation” is to accuse Russia of using weapons of mass destruction, and suggested that Ukraine may be using “nuclear blackmail” to secure more Western financial and military aid . IAEA inspectors invited by Ukraine to look into Russia’s “dirty bomb” allegation confirmed they found no sign of undeclared nuclear activity. The U.S. Secretary of State and the Foreign Ministers of France and the United Kingdom called Russia’s allegation of a dirty bomb “transparently false” in an October 23 joint statement and warned against Russia’s attempts to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation. Along with their unsubstantiated warnings about dirty bombs, Zakharova and other Russian officials have repeatedly denied Russia’s intention to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. U.S. President Biden stated in response, “If Vladimir Putin has no intentions [to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine], then why does he continue to talk about it? He can put an end to all this by leaving Ukraine.”

On global food security, Zakharova regularly advances the Russian government’s attempts to deflect responsibility and to blame others for the worsening global food crisis. Zakharova labeled Russia’s blocking of Ukrainian grain as “Western and Ukrainian disinformation .” She also falsely accused Western countries of spreading media rumors that Moscow is preparing to sabotage a vessel carrying Ukrainian grain, and blamed the United States for blocking the export of Russian agricultural products. She has obfuscated the fact that global food insecurity has increased due to Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine and was not exacerbated by sanctions imposed in response to that aggression. U.S. and allied partners’ sanctions include specific carveouts for Russian agricultural commodities and permit the export and re-export of food to and from Russia. When on October 29 the Russian government announced the temporary suspension of its participation in the U.N.-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative—which was subsequently renewed—Zakharova claimed that the food deal was “thwarted by Zelenskyy and his terrorists, who were led by British specialists” and accused Ukraine of “food blackmail.”

Zakharova has tried to sow discord between the United States and its partners, accusing Washington of devising a “diabolical plan ” to weaken the economies of EU member states and put them into “slave dependence” through U.S. assistance to Ukraine, thus leading to their “incineration.” Her comment came in response to the Ukrainian government’s recommendations on advancing Ukraine’s security through partners’ investments in Ukraine’s military and for continued sanctions on Russia.

Sanctioned by Allies, Awarded by Putin

On June 2, 2022, the U.S. Department of State sanctioned Zakharova “for her role as an official of the Government of the Russian Federation as the spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry.” In February 2022, the European Union sanctioned her as “a central figure of the government propaganda” and for having “promoted the deployment of Russian forces in Ukraine.” The UK, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand have also sanctioned Zakharova.

Zakharova remains among the most high-profile purveyors of Russia’s disinformation and a loyal propagandist in service to the Kremlin. Vladimir Putin recognized her dedication to spreading the Kremlin’s lies with an Order of Merit award in 2020 “for her major contribution to the implementation of Russian foreign policy and many years of diligent diplomatic service.”

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[1] Url: https://www.state.gov/faces-of-kremlin-propaganda-maria-zakharova/

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