Tailored News Broadcasts for the President
Dmitry Skorobutov, the former editor-in-chief of the 'Vesti' program, has revealed that since 2011, special news editions have been produced for Russian President Vladimir Putin—broadcasts that never air on television. These reports are designed to conceal the true state of affairs in the country. The system of information distortion was launched in late 2011, following the 'For Fair Elections' rallies in Moscow and the protests on Bolotnaya Square. Skorobutov stated that
“there were instructions on which news to keep, which to add, where to embellish, and where to remove, so that Putin would later be shown a perfect picture of a beautiful Russia today”.
Censorship and Information Control
Skorobutov, who received political asylum in Switzerland in 2020, also emphasized that starting in April 2022, front-line reports for Putin began to be heavily censored. The trigger for this tightened censorship was the sinking of the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet—the cruiser 'Moskva'—by Ukrainian armed forces. Skorobutov noted that
“what I see now is just a nightmare. He knows little about real events and very little about what is happening in the war”.
The secret project behind these news editions was code-named 'The Main Viewer.' In 2006, at age 26, Skorobutov became editor-in-chief of 'Vesti,' a position he left in 2017 after a conflict with the management of VGTRK. This case further illustrates how fear of protests became a catalyst for information isolation in Russia.
Ultimately, the creation of special news broadcasts for the president confirms that the authorities aim to control the information space and shape a specific version of reality that serves the interests of the country's leadership.
These revelations from Dmitry Skorobutov highlight the severity of information manipulation in Russia, which, according to him, has intensified amid the military conflict. In an effort to maintain control over public opinion, the authorities use censorship and distortion of facts, potentially leading to even greater isolation of the population from the truth. Skorobutov's experience also illustrates how journalists can become victims of political regimes that seek to control information at any cost.
These revelations highlight the broader implications of information manipulation in Russia, particularly in the context of ongoing conflicts. To understand how this tight grip on information has led to a situation where the country finds itself in a seemingly endless war, you can read more about the entrapment of Russia under Putinism in our detailed analysis here.