Russian disinformation about the war in the Middle East

The Kremlin's messages have not wasted much time focusing on the Middle East and Iran.

A key objective has been to link Ukraine to the conflict. Disinformation narratives have included attempts to link the 2014 Maidan protests to broader regional instability and claims that Ukraine could stage a “provocation” to regain international attention.

The conflict involving Iran creates a challenging situation for Russia. Moscow has failed to present itself as a reliable ally, offering little visible support to a partner that supplied Shahed drone technology and ballistic missiles since the early stages of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Iran represents the third recent case in which the Kremlin has failed to meaningfully assist a key partner. Similar patterns have emerged previously with Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.

Kremlin-affiliated media outlets are engaged in a tricky balancing act, trying to maintain relatively stable relations with the United States while simultaneously criticizing the US and Israel for their attack on Iran, while promoting Russia and Vladimir Putin as potential negotiators and mediators between the warring parties. At the same time, much of their messaging has been geared toward blaming Ukraine and portraying the United Kingdom and the European Union as instigators of the escalation.

FIMI narratives

1. 'The current conflict in Iran is directly linked to the 2014 Ukrainian crisis'

Pro-Kremlin messaging linked the war in Iran to the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, spreading Putin's claim that Western support for the "coup d'état in Kiev," which the Kremlin falsely claims was organized by the West in an attempt to weaken Russia, destroyed the global system of checks and balances.

This blatantly false narrative fits with the Kremlin’s ongoing claims that the West is collapsing and portrays the West as an immoral and destabilizing aggressor, while Russia is portrayed as the power leading the way in reducing tensions. Along with Putin’s claims that sanctions on Russian gas are hurting Europe, the Kremlin seeks to pressure European governments to reconsider sanctions, exploiting public anxiety over energy security.

The claim originated in an interview that Vladimir Putin gave on the Russian state television channel Russia 1 and was later reprinted in local languages ​​by pro-Kremlin media outlets.

2. 'Ukraine may stage a provocation to regain attention lost from the war in Iran'

Pro-Kremlin media outlets such as FIMI spread a narrative that a war in Iran would distract global attention from Ukraine and end Western support. According to these sources, Ukraine could stage a provocation either domestically or in Europe to regain attention.

This baseless claim follows an established pattern of similar accusations about alleged provocations and sabotage plots that emerge almost weekly. The narrative that Ukraine is about to lose Western support is not even a new feature, but a central aspect of the Kremlin’s strategy. Over the past year, FIMI media outlets have repeatedly insisted that Western partners, including European countries, are “tired of Ukraine.” Polls tell a different story – overall European support for Ukraine remains high. (Opens in a new tab).

The claim originated in a TASS interview with the Russian Foreign Ministry's acting ambassador, Rodion Miroshnik, and was later republished in English by News Front, a disinformation outlet based in Russian-occupied Crimea.

3. Euronews: Iranian missile destroys luxury Dubai property owned by Ukraine's defense aide

A fake news story claimed that an Iranian missile had damaged the luxury estate of an aide to Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. The claim was attributed to a Euronews report that, however, does not exist. It is part of a wider campaign. (Opens in a new tab) aimed at eroding support for Ukraine by portraying it as a corrupt state where officials are suspected of misusing Western aid for personal gain. Over the past week, the ‘corrupt Ukraine’ narrative has resurfaced in numerous forms.

Impersonating legitimate media outlets, in this case Euronews, is one of Russia's FIMI's main tactics in the information space.

The false claim began on an anonymous Telegram channel registered on Russia and then amplified in local languages ​​by the Pravda disinformation network.

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