The attack on the territory of Ukraine has intensified russia’s use of a special method of manipulating the public consciousness of its citizens, which is called “the defense mechanism of the psyche” in psychology.

Typical manifestations of using the mechanisms of manipulating the collective psyche are the promotion of the following narratives by russian manipulators.

“It was Ukraine that was going to attack the rf, we had no choice”, “we are small people and cannot be responsible for the government’s actions”. This mechanism of psychological influence is aimed at distancing the average russian from the situation, removing responsibility for the authorities’ actions because “the whole world is hostile to them and wishes them evil”, and all their everyday problems are the fault of Ukraine and the collective West.

The kremlin regime proves that russians are more comfortable with the idea that Ukraine provoked the war and disassociate themselves from the horrors committed by their compatriots in Ukraine.

“russia brings peace to the people of Ukraine”. This narrative speculates on the Orwellian phrase “war is peace” and substitutes ideas that are unacceptable to the majority with the opposite ones. By substituting concepts, the kremlin is attempting to attach a semblance of reason to its actions and “replay” reality in its favor.

“The special operation continues as planned, russia refrains from shelling civilian objects”. It is an example of employing the mechanism of denying the obvious, i.e., rejecting the facts and introducing the idea that the problem does not exist. Putin’s propaganda claims that there is no major war, no shelling of civilian targets by the russian military and no killing of the Ukrainian population since Ukrainians are bombing themselves and the russian army is facilitating peace, while the sanctions have no impact on their lives.

“Russia is a great country with imperial traditions”. This is a manifestation of the idealization mechanism, when illusions prevent from a sober perception of reality. With all its informational power, the kremlin idealizes russia’s imperial past and constant expansion of its borders by seizing the territories of neighboring sovereign countries. The main purpose of this methodology is to support the myth of the alleged omnipotence of russia and its armed forces, as well as the ability to influence world processes.

“If russia really wanted to destroy Ukraine, it would have done it long ago”. A devaluation mechanism that helps a person to more easily cope with defeats and failures due to the inability to critically assess their state of affairs. Russian propaganda is trying to create an “information distortion mirror”, which devalues not only the power of the Ukrainian army and civil resistance but also the significant losses of military equipment and manpower of the russian armed forces. Putin’s “we haven’t even started yet” has long become a meme ridiculed by the whole world.

“The Nazis have seized power in Ukraine, and they should be treated accordingly”. It is a manifestation of the so-called defensive motivation when a person tries to justify and normalize an ordinary crime. Manipulation is aimed at forming the understanding in the minds of the russophile that even war crimes against civilians in Ukraine are justified.

“Since 2014, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been shelling the East of Ukraine, where russian-speaking people live, which led to the beginning of the special operation”. This narrative creates a moral and ethical basis for the kremlin to justify aggression under the pretext of allegedly protecting the russian-speaking population of Donbas. The dogma that “protecting the people of Donbas” is russia’s moral obligation to “its brothers and sisters” is being instilled in the minds of russians and the whole world.

Obviously, even the preliminary analysis proves the manipulative nature of this justification of military aggression.

“Why did the Western community fail to protest when NATO bombed Yugoslavia?” This is a well-known mechanism of refocusing public attention from one situation to another. In fact, when russians are asked about Bucha, Mariupol, Kharkiv and other Ukrainian cities that suffered from Russian war crimes, they have nothing to say. This forced tactic is aimed at shifting attention from the discussion of the key issue of stopping russian aggression to the secondary issue of the distant past.

Thus, the russian clichés used by the kremlin to justify the attack on Ukraine are irrefutable proof that the people of the aggressor country need immediate psychotherapy.

Analysts of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the NSDC have also prepared a longread on the topic: Is Dugina’s murder a case of russian authorities? More details are available at the link: