Anniversary of the pseudo-referendum in Crimea as tool of ru-propaganda
Every year on March 18, russia turns the anniversary of Crimea’s occupation into a large-scale propaganda spectacle. Concerts, motor rallies, and “patriotic lessons” for schoolchildren all serve a single purpose: to reinforce the narrative of a “voluntary reunification” and the “historically russian” status of Crimea.
▫️ Similarly, every year on March 16, the promotion of fakes about the “2014 legitimate referendum” intensifies. kremlin-controlled media spread the narrative of the “will of the people” and a “bloodless referendum,” ignoring reality, as the so-called referendum was conducted at gunpoint.
▫️ In russian schools and cultural centers, workshops, exhibitions, and “historical lessons” are organized, where children are primarily indoctrinated with the idea of Crimea’s “eternal russianness.” Propaganda seeks to justify modern aggression by referencing events of the 18th century, attempting to assert that the law of force outweighs internationally recognized borders and Ukraine’s sovereignty.
▫️ Representatives of the occupation administration report on the “construction of a new Crimea” to conceal the reality: the transformation of the peninsula into a closed military base and systematic persecution of dissenters. At the same time, they emphasize that the residents of Crimea “voted” not for “roads and welfare,” but to “be part of a shared cultural, economic, and Orthodox space with russia.”
All these events are not meant as “celebrations” but aim to instill in public consciousness, especially among the youth, the illusion of “historical justice.” russian propaganda justifies the seizure of the peninsula with myths of protection against “neo-Nazism” and a “coup.” This tactic of creating an “external enemy” is intended to distract from the illegal occupation and the pseudo-referendum.
