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Tactics and tools How Russian propaganda uses “selective truth” tactics

Selective truth is a propaganda tactic that partly uses the truth to mislead people and achieve its own goals. The statement may be partially true, may be entirely true (but not include the whole truth), or may contain several deceptive elements such as mispunctuation, double meanings, misrepresentation of the truth. Russian propaganda often and actively uses this tactic. A recent example is the claim by disinformers that the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station was destroyed by water pressure due to damage in 2022 as a result of shelling by American HIMARS MLRS. There were indeed shellings, but as a result of them only the roadbed on the dam was damaged and they definitely could not entail such large-scale destruction of the dam itself. Western experts are inclined to believe that the Kakhovka HPP was destroyed due to an explosion from the inside. Another example is the numerous reports of pro-Russian anonymous telegram channels about losses in the battle for Bakhmut. The propagandists write only about the supposedly heavy losses of the Defense Forces, completely “forgetting” about the losses of the Russian armed forces and the Wagner group, which Western officials estimate at about 60 thousand people.

Of course, unfortunately, the Defense Forces suffered significant losses in Bakhmut, but this “feast victory” cost the infidels many times more. One of the main disinformation narratives of Russian propaganda is the assertion that Western sanctions will not have a negative impact on the Russian economy. Among them there is a message that the ruble is growing, strengthening and is perhaps the most stable currency in the world. This message was especially actively promoted at the beginning of a full-scale invasion. There was some truth in this, but Russian propagandists deliberately kept silent about the fact that their currency fell rapidly and very strongly in March 2022 against the backdrop of the introduction of Western sanctions for aggression against Ukraine and only in April began to recover. It should also be understood that the Russian currency was saved from a further rapid fall by manual regulation of the economy, which always leads to extremely negative consequences in the future. The disinformers “forgot” that the ruble in April 2022 grew slightly only against the US dollar, but this was by no means an absolute indicator.

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