Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels and media outlets are actively spreading eye-catching infographics that allegedly rely on data from the German platform Statista. They claim that Putin’s speeches enjoy high audience engagement in European countries – especially in Poland, Germany, and France. The creators of the fake explain this by people’s “desire to bypass censorship” and their “support for the Russian position”.

This was highlighted by analysts from the Center for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.

This is an outright manipulation, experts note. Statista, a reputable statistics platform, has not conducted any research on views of Putin’s political speeches. There is no mention of such data on the platform’s official website.

On the contrary, according to Statista (September 2025):

These figures directly contradict the Kremlin’s claims of “popularity”. The source cited for the infographic is Social Blade. Indeed, this platform is mentioned in the graphic. However, Social Blade does not analyze views of political broadcasts by country. It only tracks statistics of individual YouTube, Twitch, or X accounts – such as subscribers, views, and estimated revenue. It is technically incapable of showing how many people in Poland or France watched a speech by Putin.

This is a deliberately fabricated infographic, created to imitate “scientific analysis”. Its purpose is to create the illusion of support for Putin abroad, despite Russia’s real international isolation.

By claiming that “everyone is watching Putin despite censorship”, propaganda seeks to prove that restrictions do not work and that the West is “hurting itself”. For a Russian audience, this serves as “proof” that “we are not alone”, that “the world is with us”, reinforcing the narrative of a “war against the West rather than against Ukraine”.