What Global South media write about Ukraine
The Center monitors the information space in the Global South and identifies narratives favorable to Russia. In recent days, the key topics related to Ukraine have been:
The Russian strike on the city of Dnipro with ballistic missile “Oreshnik”;
The escalation of the war in Ukraine;
Russia’s nuclear threats against the West;
The participation of DPRK military forces in the war against Ukraine.
Most reports about Ukraine in the media of the Global South focused on the Storm Shadow strikes on Russian territory and Moscow’s use of an intercontinental ballistic missile against the city of Dnipro. The strike by the Russian “Oreshnik” missile and Putin’s threats generated significant resonance in the countries of the Global South. As a result, narratives favorable to Russia have proliferated, including the possibility of World War III and accusations of escalation directed at the West.
Unlike most countries in the Global South, Chinese journalists almost completely ignored Putin’s nuclear threats and covered the missile attack on Dnipro in a very restrained manner, avoiding any emphasis on new escalation or the risks of a global nuclear war.
Amid Russia’s nuclear threats and new escalation, Chinese and Indian media have paid significantly less attention to the diplomatic resolution of the war and mediation efforts by countries of the Global South. Reports on the course of combat operations in eastern Ukraine and the Kursk region of Russia have also declined, reflecting a waning interest in these topics.
Media outlets in Southeast Asia, however, continue to focus on the participation of DPRK military forces in the Russian-Ukrainian war. In this context, they have also reported on Russia’s recruitment of Yemeni Houthis.
Key narratives favorable to Russia:
The launch of the Oreshnik missile was “not an escalation of the conflict, but a response to escalation provoked by the West”;
The West is escalating the war in Ukraine while profiting massively from it;
The West’s actions are pushing the world toward World War III.
