russia promotes the narrative of the “legitimacy” of the Donbas occupation through foreign students
In temporarily occupied Luhansk, under the guise of a “cultural dialogue,” a staged tour was organized for foreign medical students from India, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria to an Orthodox church as part of the so-called “year of the unity of the peoples of russia.”
▫️ Pro-kremlin representatives, presenting the event as an example of the region’s international openness, emphasized that foreign youth allegedly showed active interest in the “spiritual heritage of Donbas,” aiming to create the impression of growing international attention to the TOT.
▫️ In reality, this is another attempt to informationally legitimize the occupation. The involvement of foreign students is used as a tool to create the illusion of international presence and tacit approval of russia’s actions in the occupied territories.
The occupation authorities have previously used a similar tactic, organizing visits of so-called “foreign journalists” and politicians to Donetsk to project an image of “international support” and promote propaganda narratives about the “reconstruction of Donbas.”
