How Russia's Media War Leaves People Oblivious To The Death, Destruction In Ukraine

As Russia wages a brutal war against Ukraine, targeting civilian areas and drawing global condemnation, many people living in Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea consume false narratives promoted by Kremlin-controlled media. Calling the invasion a war and not a "special military operation" is a criminal offense under Russian law. When RFE/RL spoke to people in Crimea, part of Ukraine seized by Russia in 2014, there was ignorance about what is going on. The interviews in this report were conducted before RFE/RL was forced to halt its operations in Russia and Crimea on March 6, amid intense government pressure to stop independent reporting there.