According to the conventional wisdom, Vladimir Putin and his Western supporters propagate a uniform message throughout the world.

Contradictions Define Kremlin Apologists

by Alexander J. Motyl

According to the conventional wisdom, Vladimir Putin and his Western supporters propagate a uniform message throughout the world. At its most extreme, this view sees Russia as having a formidable propaganda machine that is running roughshod over the Western media and public. 

In fact, Putin and his supporters and apologists often disagree. One reason may be that the machine just isn’t as formidable as it’s made out to be. Another may be that the Kremlin’s supporters make mistakes when interpreting or anticipating the frequently contradictory or incomprehensible statements of the Delphic oracle that is Putin. A third may be that they have difficulties bridging the growing gap between reality and Putin’s oftentimes shifting views. The Putinite interpretation—one that I won’t even bother refuting—is that disagreement is the foundation of vigorous democracies such as Putin’s Russia.

Consider three recent texts: Putin’s July 1st speech to the Conference of Russian ambassadors and permanent representatives in Moscow; Andranik Migranyan’s June 28th article in the National Interest; and Katrina vanden Heuvel and Stephen F. Cohen’s May 19th article in the Nation.

Putin is Russia’s unconstitutionally elected president; Migranyan is director of the Institute for Democracy and Cooperation in New York, a Kremlin front; vanden Heuvel, editor of the Nation, and Cohen, her spouse, are Putin’s cheerleaders on the American left.

Before looking at discrepancies, consider the most striking similarity: all four see the current crisis in Ukraine as the product of US intrigues (echoes of Jeane Kirkpatrick’s “Blame America First” speech many years ago).

Putin: “The events provoked in Ukraine became the concentrated expression of the notorious policy of containment.”

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