Context

Whenever voters participate in national elections, as Ukrainians will do on March 31, 2019, they often have an eye on both the future and the past.

A new whistleblower has now emerged from inside a Russian state media organisation. This time it is Leonid Krivenkov, a former camera operator on the state TV channel Rossiya 24, who in an interview tells RFE/RL about how the propaganda output is managed by his ex-employer.

“Maria Butina is a human rights activist, for me Maria Butina is a public figure, a student of the American University, and the most relevant is that she is a person who did not work (collaborate) with the Russian state bodies.

“At the Defense Ministry, which I have no connection with, I cannot negotiate the financing/supply of a private military contractor that doesn't exist.

“From the outset, Salmond insisted that the process was political and the charges were investigated with violations. The court supported him. It’s dangerous to be an RT presenter.

“All launches of ground-to-ground missiles were conducted at a range not exceeding the range of the INF limits.

On 12th of December last year, a man protesting against the UN Global compact for migration was attacked. A few days later, photos of the brawl appeared on the Russian social media site Vkontakte, showing someone with an Estonian flag on their sleeve beating the protester.

Igor Korotchenko is a vocal advocate for the Russian Military Industry. He is the editor-in-chief of a major defence journal and a frequent guest in talk shows in TV-channels with strong connections to the Kremlin.

Along with news on the church schism and kinetic movements along Ukraine’s eastern border, the issue of Ukrainian versus Russian language usage in Ukraine remains a prominent topic in Kremlin-backed news.

Strict control of broadcast television has been a key element of Russian President Vladimir Putin's nearly two decades in power.