Are Russia and Ukraine both employing war propaganda?
Both Russia and Ukraine are employing propaganda as part of their military strategies.
In Ukraine, legends of heroic figures and acts are disseminated to boost morale. Examples include a mysterious fighter pilot downing Russian aircraft called the "Ghost of Kyiv," cats that spot Russian sniper dots and footage of a supposed Ukrainian Air Force success that was taken from a video game.
In Russia, claims about the need to "denazify" Ukraine and protect Russians in eastern Ukraine from "genocide" are used to maintain support for the invasion. Russia has also been caught blaming its own attacks on the Ukrainian military or "crisis actors."
While Ukraine recently outlawed the sharing of military-related images, Russia's censorship is farther reaching, banning all forms of non-state media. The 2021 World Press Freedom Index ranks Russia considerably lower than Ukraine.