A piece about why Europe \u2013 including the UK \u2013 needed to develop a coherent message and strategy and force its way into the discussions now under way, to avoid leaving Donald Trump<\/a> as the sole voice of the West, was spun as a recognition that trying to isolate Vladimir Putin<\/a> had failed, and that Europe needed to try to restore relations it had so pointlessly broken.<\/p>\n Sometimes, of course, there was more dramatic licence at work.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Putin is right\u2019\u2026 Europe should stop interfering with the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict and establish dialogue with Russia, according to the expert Mark Galeotti,\u201d declared RIA Novosti, with a rather cavalier take on what was actually a recommendation that Europe find more effective ways of \u201cinterfering\u201d on Ukraine\u2019s side.<\/p>\n Still, it was briefly satisfying to see myself described as \u201cnoted British political scientist\u201d, given that I was in the first batch of Britons banned indefinitely from the country in June 2022 for my supposed \u201cRussophobia\u201d.<\/p>\n Of course, it couldn\u2019t last. On Sunday, an article of mine on Russian subversion and meddling in Europe was published, and was rather less to Moscow\u2019s liking. Ultra-nationalist news outlet Tsargrad, which one day had approvingly described me as a \u201cBritish historian and Russian cultural expert<\/a>\u201c, the next characterised me as \u201cranting<\/a>\u201d and relaying \u201cRussophobic rhetoric and outright slander\u201d.<\/p>\n Yet why should the Russian press, even including local sites, care what I think? As someone who reads Russian newspapers every day, I am regularly struck by how heavily they cover what is being said in the Western media.<\/p>\n Often, they simply recount news and opinions, especially when it fits narratives the Kremlin likes to see covered. But at other times, they spin, select, edit and cherrypick in such a way as to subvert the original intent, again to fit the party line.<\/p>\n Either way, not a day goes by without some story on what the Western media is saying, whether positively or to lambast its \u201cRussophobic rhetoric\u201d.<\/p>\n Likewise, UK celebrities get more than their fair share of column inches, whether the latest on the Royal Family or the travails of Dzoan Rouling \u2013 Joanne (JK) Rowling. Indeed, the death of \u201cDriving Home for Christmas\u201d singer Chris Rea<\/a> made it to the front pages, even though he only performed a few times in Moscow, in pre-war times. <\/p>\n How often do British newspapers cover what\u2019s being said in their Russian counterparts, let alone the country\u2019s actors and popstars, unless there is a clear political angle?<\/p>\n In part, this reflects a \u201cknow your enemy\u201d fascination, especially as the \u201cspecial military operation\u201d in Ukraine is portrayed essentially as a European proxy war on Russia. Coming from a system in which the Kremlin frequently dictates the overall messaging, the assumption is that the Western press can likewise be read as coded communication from our governments. Often, the views of some pundit or minor MP will be reported as \u201cBritain says\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n It is more than just that, though. There was a telling line in Putin\u2019s marathon press conference on Friday<\/a>, in which he offered to work with the UK and with Europe, \u201con an equal footing, with mutual respect\u201d, adding that \u201cif we were to join forces with European countries, Russia and European countries, our combined GDP at purchasing power parity would be greater than that of the United States\u201d.<\/p>\n \t\tYour next read<\/p>\n
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