Dear Friends,

A year after Russia launched the second phase of its “special operation” to gain total control of the Donbas and southern Ukraine, an exclusive investigation by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reveals how Alexander Malkevich, a mysterious entrepreneur close to Yevgeny Prigozhin, set up a propaganda apparatus in southern Ukraine in record time.

From June to August 2022, pro-Russian TV and radio stations suddenly emerged in several war-ravaged Ukrainian cities. New “journalists” were quickly recruited to supply this Wagner Group-linked propaganda machine. Almost as soon as it fell into Russian hands, southern Ukraine was flooded with propaganda designed to support the Kremlin’s message and sweep away Ukraine’s past.

The media are a major factor in the hybrid war being waged by Russia. Our investigation of Malkevich’s operations exposes the inner workings of the Russian propaganda machine in the occupied parts of southern Ukraine. These coordinated actions, which are additional evidence of the disinformation bubble created by the Kremlin, underline the urgent need to combat propaganda and fight for the right to reliable news and information.

Your support is essential for us to be able to continue this fight together.