russia has intensified its “space” propaganda targeting the Global South
russia has launched a propaganda campaign for cosmonautics day in countries of the Global South.
▫️ Through the network of “rossotrudnichestvo” and the so-called “russian houses,” festivals, lectures, exhibitions, and educational events dedicated to space and Yuriy Gagarin’s flight are being held across dozens of countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
▫️ Although these events are presented as “scientific and educational,” they are in fact a classic soft power tool. In this way, russia aims to create a positive image of itself. Through propaganda of “technological greatness,” the kremlin seeks to sell the world the myth of russia as a “major space power.”
In reality, the russian space industry is far from this propagandistic image. Under sanctions and enormous war-related expenditures, it is rapidly losing positions, technologies, and personnel, while the sector’s productivity has effectively regressed to the level of the 1960s.
