The work of building public awareness in the “liberated territories”

Saturday, January 3, 2015 - 23:38 (EET) Section: Information Resistance

Back in September 2014, the Information Resistance group presented a report with the results of the monitoring [of the ongoing status] in the ATO [Anti-terrorist operation] zone. One of the conclusions of the report was: a pro-Ukrainian Russian-language print media must be established urgently, geared at the local population and distributed free of charge.

While the higher-ups continue their incessant squabbles about who gets the best PR from the “matters of information,” military journalists of the Ministry of Defense showed initiative and took the matters in their own hands. The staff of the MoD newspaper Narodna Armiya [The People’s Army], headed by the Editor-in-Chief Colonel Roman Drapak, cooperated with patriots in the ranks of local government in Kramatorsk and organized a local publication, in the form of a special issue of Narodna Armiya. (It should be noted that 9 officer journalists of NA are permanently present in the ATO zone at this time.)

Narodna Armiya [The People’s Army] – the central printed media of the MoD of Ukraine

As of this time, five special issues have been published, and are found [to be] in high demand among the locals. (In addition to that, starting from April, when the ATO began, Narodna Armiya has been putting out an additional “military” run, specifically for ATO forces.)

This work is very important and necessary. But seeing as the military journalists did not use additional military budget funds to organize the publication of the Russian-language special issue of Narodna Armiya for the liberated territories, the print run of the special issue was only 20 thousand copies. That is definitely not enough. We hope that the state will find a way to support and develop this highly necessary initiative. We must remember that the war in Donbas is not only a fight for territories, but, firstly and foremostly, a fight for the minds and souls of our brothers who fall victim to Russian propaganda. And hats off to the guys from Narodna Armiya!

Donbas special issue of Narodna Armiya. Headings: “Jobs for migrants,” “Humanitarian convoys – eastwards,” “Pensions for refugees,” “Restoration of Donbas.”