German foreign minister says first phase of Trump's Gaza plan achievable by next week
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday that the initial stage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the conflict in Gaza must...
What happens when language becomes a weapon? When cinema turns into a battlefield? A new AnewZ documentary investigates how Russia’s propaganda machine operates, tracing its roots from the playbook of Joseph Goebbels to the Kremlin’s cultural strategies today.
The documentary opens by invoking the shadow of Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germany’s infamous Minister of Propaganda.
Goebbels, described in the film as “the man who defined propaganda,” didn’t just manipulate public opinion—he engineered mass belief in a destructive cult, fuelling war and genocide. His rallying cry, “Rise up and let the storm break loose!”, echoes through history as a chilling reminder of propaganda’s potential.
But the film quickly makes clear that this is not just a lesson in 20th-century horrors. Propaganda, it notes, is universal— a word that needs no translation. Its tools have evolved, but the intent remains unchanged - to mould reality, rewrite history, and shape minds. The film shows how, from the printing press to television to today’s internet, carefully crafted narratives have always been used by rulers to control behaviour and manufacture belief.
As conflicts intensify worldwide, the documentary argues, propaganda becomes more aggressive and more sophisticated.
The film illustrates these points with footage from rallies, state TV, and infamous soundbites. Russian officials such as Sergey Lavrov and Vladimir Putin are shown denying aggression in Ukraine, even as new invasions unfold.
Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister: “No, we aren’t planning on attacking other countries. We didn’t attack Ukraine either.”
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia: “I repeat, we are acting in self-defence against the threats directed at us. We don’t plan on occupying Ukrainian territories.”
A visual of a Russian school textbook highlights how history is retold to suit political purposes: “In 1954, on the personal initiative of N. Khrushchev… Crimea was transferred from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR.”
Central to the film’s analysis is the manipulation of language itself. Drawing on Holocaust survivor Victor Klemperer’s studies of Nazi Germany—where “Lingua Tertii Imperii,” or the Language of the Third Reich, was designed to reshape consciousness—the film shows how today’s Russia systematically retools vocabulary. Words such as “war” become “special military operation”; “critics” are labelled “foreign agents.” Repetition of such phrases, the film notes, is used to reprogramme public understanding.
Culture is no less important. The film delves into “Kulturpolitik,” a Nazi concept where art, literature, and cinema were mobilised to reinforce state ideology and silence dissent. Today, Russian culture—especially film and TV—plays a similar role, embedding official narratives in the popular imagination.
A major focus of the documentary is Nikita Mikhalkov, a once-acclaimed Russian filmmaker now notorious as a voice for the Kremlin. Through his programme “Besogon,” Mikhalkov promotes conspiracy theories, chauvinism, and emotional manipulation. His transformation, the film argues, is rooted in a family history of adaptation and service to power—his father, Sergey Mikhalkov authored Soviet anthems for three different leaders, and relatives have a legacy of shifting allegiances.
Soundbites throughout the documentary drive home the message:
Dmytro Gordon, Ukrainian journalist: “Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov. An outstanding director. A wonderful actor. On the other hand, a scoundrel.”
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia: “He is, of course, from a great Russian creative family.”
Nikita Mikhalkov, on supporting Yeltsin: “Not re-electing Yeltsin today means the whole nation admitting its own helplessness.”
The documentary also presents voices from ordinary Russians, Russian propagandists such as Vladimir Solovyov and Margarita Simonyan, and striking moments such as a woman claiming, “If we hadn’t invaded Ukraine, Europe would have attacked us.”
The documentary pays particular attention to the relentless use of the “Nazi” label. From Ukrainian leaders to neighbouring countries and even domestic dissenters, anyone who challenges official narratives is branded a “fascist.” At the same time, evidence of Russian war crimes is denied or inverted. As the film argues, just as Nazi Germany made “fanaticism” a virtue and “liberal” an insult, today’s Russia rewrites words and meanings to suit political goals.
A powerful visual shows Putin and the self-declared leaders of separatist territories in Ukraine, holding hands and chanting “Russia!” during an annexation ceremony—an example of how ritual and spectacle serve propaganda.
The documentary doesn’t limit its focus to Ukraine. Russian propaganda, it reveals, now targets all independent voices in the region, including Azerbaijan. Recent broadcasts have accused Azerbaijan of raising “Russophobe” generations and painted the country’s elite as Western puppets. These attacks, the film contends, are not isolated incidents but part of a broader strategy to deny neighbours their agency and cast sovereignty as hostility.
The film concludes with a warning: Propaganda does not simply distort the truth—it justifies violence, silences debate, and enables atrocity. The horrors of the twentieth century were enabled by such thinking. “The most insidious propaganda,” the documentary notes, “convinces us that the line between truth and lie is unimportant—that facts are negotiable, and that violence can be justified by narrative.”
The final scene is haunting—Vladimir Putin toasting Nikita Mikhalkov’s birthday by videocall, a subtle reminder of how culture, power, and propaganda remain intertwined.
Made in Russia, Believed Nowhere: Kremlin-curated Illusions is essential viewing for anyone seeking to understand how propaganda shapes our world, not just in Russia, but everywhere information is weaponised.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday that the initial stage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the conflict in Gaza must be implemented by the beginning of next week at the latest, while acknowledging that other elements of the proposal would take longer to resolve.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday found a militia leader guilty for the first time over atrocities committed in Sudan’s Darfur region more than two decades ago.
Protesters once again took to the streets of Madagascar’s cities on Monday, marking a third consecutive week of anti-government demonstrations now calling for President Andry Rajoelina to step down.
Iran and France indicated on Monday that talks on the release of two French citizens held in Iran in exchange for an Iranian national detained by France were progressing.
Ukraine’s military says it has carried out strikes on one of Russia’s main explosives factories and an oil terminal in occupied Crimea, escalating long-range attacks on key sites supporting Moscow’s war effort.
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