Foreign journalists at the Mariupol Drama Theatre — russia’s attempt to conceal a war crime
russia has staged another propaganda show by bringing a group of kremlin-aligned media representatives, mostly from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, to occupied Mariupol. The Mariupol Drama Theatre was the main stop of the tour.
▫️ This group of foreign visitors, from which the kremlin is attempting to craft an image of “independent voices abroad,” operates according to a clear script: they enthusiastically describe the theatre’s “luxurious” interior, praise the pace of russia’s so-called “reconstruction,” and claim that the city has allegedly “come back to life.” However, behind this façade, they “fail to notice” the most important fact: they are standing at the site of a war crime — the mass killing of civilians carried out by russian forces on March 16, 2022.
By involving foreign journalists, the aggressor state is attempting to construct an alternative reality for audiences less familiar with the details of russia’s war crimes against Ukraine. The media focus on “reconstruction” is a cynical attempt by the kremlin to erase the memory of hundreds of civilians killed in the russian airstrike on the theatre building.
