Falsehood in Wartime: Hiding Truths and Spreading Untruths in Russia During the First Year of Putin’s War in Ukraine’
Journal: The Canadian Journal of European and Russian Studies
Year: 2024

The old adage that truth is the first casualty of war held fast during the build-up to, and the conduct of, the ‘special military operation’ (SVO) launched by Vladimir Putin against Ukraine on 24 February 2022 is no exception to the rule. The Russian state’s methods for sustaining its changing official narrative about the SVO are detailed here, as are the ways and means the dissident portion of Russia’s citizenry made their objections to the war in Ukraine heard during its first year. The Kremli