Database of Propagandists Is Now in RuAssets

The volunteer initiative for information hygiene "How Not to Become a Vegetable" created a database of russian propagandists, traitors, and collaborators. These people have been supporting the russian-Ukrainian war and spreading the anti-Ukrainian narratives for the last eight years. We integrated the database into the system and are talking about its benefits and usage.

The detailed list of russian propagandists simplifies the work of journalists, lawyers, and entrepreneurs. It provides data for investigations, finding proofs and analyzing business links. Thanks to this information, the state bodies can also quickly unmask new “candidates for sanctions”. In addition, this database will help make russian propagandists and their accomplices bear responsibility for the genocide of the Ukrainian people, in which they took a direct informational part.

Who Was Added to the Database of Propagandists?

The database included persons who created and were spreading pro-kremlin disinformation against Ukraine. These are mainly russians, as well as several belarusian journalists, representatives of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and collaborators from Crimea.

Citizens of Ukraine were also included in the list. These are Illia Kyva, Oleksandr Mashchenko, Dmytro Vydrin. Those who lived in the russian federation (rf) and at different times were collaborators.

As of July 05, 2022, the database includes 1 800 persons and will be updated every quarter. It is planned that employees of the state belarusian mass media, pro-government belarusian bloggers, and "experts," media workers of the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, will be added to the database. As well as singers, actors, participants of pro-kremlin talk shows, journalists, war correspondents, politicians, athletes and other representatives of the public space of the rf who supported the war against Ukraine.

TOTAL – 1 800

○ Mass media – 628

○ Writers – 516

○ Music – 145

○ Experts – 135

○ Cinema and television – 74

○ Politics – 62

○ Bloggers – 59

○ War correspondents – 48

○ Sport – 37

○ Youth propaganda – 32

○ Scientists – 19

○ Other – 17

○ Theatre – 16

○ Church – 9

○ Army – 3

Who Is Not in the Database?

The database does not include the so-called liberal russians (Yuliia Latynina, Kseniia Sobchak, Illia Varlamov, Maksim Kats, etc.). Those public figures who position themselves as oppositionists and condemn certain aggressive actions of the rf. They will be added to a separate database with detailed analysis.

The database also does not include those who chose "keeping silence." Excepting who visited the temporarily occupied by russia Ukrainian territories, that together with the position of "keeping silence" actually indicates the support of the russian side in the russian-Ukrainian war.

By What Signs Are the Propagandists of the rf Determined?

➔ Assessment of the russian-Ukrainian war from February 2014 to the reaction to the full-scale military invasion of the rf and subsequent events.

➔ Attitude towards the occupation of Crimea and/or visiting the occupied peninsula violates Ukrainian legislation.

➔ Attitude towards the Revolution of Dignity, the Ukrainian people, and their right to self-determination.

➔ Participation in propaganda events, including those dedicated to the cult of the victory of russians in the "Great Patriotic War" (the so-called "pobedobesie" ("victory devildom"), glorification of the "special operation" and the "incorporation" of Crimea.

➔ Spread of various pro-kremlin narratives: unmotivated and unjust russophobia, the ineffectiveness of sanctions, accusations against the collective West and the USA, the civil war in Ukraine, foreign governance in Ukraine, etc.

 ➔ Support for the aggressive foreign policy of the russian government.

➔ Signing collective appeals in support of the war.

➔ Work for the russian propaganda mass media.

These persons' public statements, comments in the mass media, posts on social networks, participation in propaganda events such as concerts, round table meetings, etc., became proofs of their pro-russian orientation. 

Presence in other similar databases, for example, in "Spisok Putina" ("Putin's List") or "Myrotvorets" ("Peacemaker"), was also considered as proof. Proofs are links to publications, videos, screenshots, etc. The evidence base will continue being updated and supplemented.

Where Were Propagandists Being Found?

The following means were used to search for the russian propagandists and public figures who supported the russian-Ukrainian war:

- monitoring of the traditional mass media, websites, and social networks regarding the support for the so-called "special operation" and the spread of the pro-kremlin narratives;

- studying the lists of the ordinary employees and top management of the propaganda mass media. It applies to TV hosts, general directors, editors, and producers;

- search for the war correspondents, experts of pro-kremlin talk shows who commented on russian-Ukrainian relations;

- search for the signatories of collective appeals in support of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine;

- cross-search among invited guests, links and shares from the already identified propagandists;

- studying the public positions of stars and famous public figures of the rf;

- analysis of the state and commercial structures that form the Ukrainian-hating ideology of the kremlin;

- analysis of persons from the databases "Myrotvorets" ("Peacemaker"), "Spisok Putina" ("Putin's List"), "Navalny's List," "They Love War," "Human/No Human."

How the Database of russian Propagandists Is Built

The database is organized according to a logical structure, where there is a profile for each person:

- country;

- surname and name;

- type of activity (sport, music, theater, mass media, politics, bloggers, "experts," etc.);

- place of work, if available;

- reference – a brief description of professional activity, their anti-Ukrainian actions or messages;

- social networks: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram, Twitter;

- links to the proofs of participation in the creation/spread of anti-Ukrainian propaganda or public support for the war against Ukraine. Most of the proofs are posted on russian websites that are prohibited in Ukraine. You will need a VPN to open them.

- folder with proofs. Here screenshots and videos are contained.

Propagandists are grouped by categories and type of activity:

🧐 Experts: speakers of talk shows, radio broadcasts, political scientists, sociologists, historians, economists, philosophers, military experts and specialists in other fields. Former Ukrainian public figures, collaborators of different years (including those from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and occupied Crimea).

👀  Army: representatives of the armed forces of the rf, who are the speakers of the relevant ministries and law enforcement agencies and make public statements about the progress of the "special operation."

🧟‍♂️ Bloggers who have their own platforms, mainly on Instagram, Telegram, and YouTube. Famous bloggers were initially unrelated to news and politics but started spreading russian propaganda after the full-scale invasion. Bloggers who use humor to spread propaganda.

🧻 Mass media: ordinary employees of TV channels, correspondents and authors of propaganda articles in the mass media, and top management of media holdings that maintain and shape the propaganda machine.

🎥 Cinema and television: mainly directors and actors who expressed their support for the "special operation" at the beginning of the war or took part in the filming of propaganda films.

🎙 Music: stars of the stage who either supported the war on social networks or participated in propaganda events.

📎 Scientists: representatives of higher educational institutions or scientific and educational institutions.

📌 War correspondents: correspondents reporting from the hot spots of the russian-Ukrainian war and from the occupied territories (for example, on humanitarian aid to the population).

✍️ Writers: signers of the open letter in support of the full-scale invasion "Who Wants Victims?". The letter reads: "The special military operation currently underway in the Donetsk and some parts of Ukraine has been brewing for a long time. The West has not left the attempts to one way or another hurt russia, blacken and ultimately dismember it." Significantly, most of the writers from this part of the database are little-known authors and members of the Union of Writers of russia.

🤡 Politics: russian politicians, as well as representatives of terrorists from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, most actively make various kinds of Ukrainophobic statements in the public space.

⚽️ Sportspeople. In particular, members of the movement "Putin Team" organized by the hockey player Ovechkin and the Olympians who participated in the concert at the Luzhniki Stadium managed to support the war and the occupation of Crimea.

🎭 Theatre: actors and actresses, ballet representatives.

🔮 Church: representatives of the clergy, who regularly and systematically work out the narrative of the unique mission of the aggressor country.

⛏Youth propaganda: functionaries of the organizations "Yunarmiia" ("Young Army") and "Moloda hvardiia" ("Young Guard").

⚪️ Other: several artists (painters, sculptors), members of russian and separatist NGOs, and just the public figures who made statements in support of the war against Ukraine.

The base of propagandists is another blow to the aggressor country. Each checking and unmasking of the bearers of "russian world" and collaborators are a step towards victory. Check counterparties, beneficiaries, and owners and protect your business from losses because of cooperation with persons subject to sanctions.