Australians not fooled by Russia’s scandalous propaganda

Despite most of the international community criticising Russia for its aggression in Ukraine and for flaunting international conventions, the country’s embassy in Canberra has paid for an advertisement in which it condemns Australia for contributing to “Russophobia”.

In the advertisement, published in The Canberra Times, it also blames Russia’s critics for not accepting Russian foreign policy and dismisses as absurd claims Russia had any involvement in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 and the almost fatal nerve agent poisoning of British-based former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

It says it is fanciful to suggest Russia is an “aggressor” or a cyber threat.

This is another devious attempt to deflect from the real issues. That’s the cornerstone of Russian foreign policy.

Russia recently upped the ante in its fight to retain Crimea, which it illegally annexed five years ago.

In late November it fired on three Ukrainian navy vessels in the Kerch Strait, capturing them and unlawfully holding 24 Ukrainian sailors as political prisoners. The idea was to test the world’s reaction.

The more it carries out such tests, the more dangerous the situation in Ukraine becomes and the more fragile European and even world peace become.

The Russian war in eastern Ukraine is a trial for larger plans. Ukraine is holding the barricades for peace. Break them, then what comes next?

The Russian Federation, in its usual offhand manner, deflects the international reaction.

The facts are obvious and indisputable, the visual and audio evidence readily available.

But Russia denies, blames, threatens — all in an attempt to muddy the waters. The advertisement was just another attempt to whitewash its outlaw behaviour by blaming others.

Australia has stood strong and the embassy’s claims are easily refuted. Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne recently reaffirmed Australia’s steadfast support for Ukraine and for “robust sanctions in relation to threats against its (Ukraine’s) sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

“Australia is committed to working with its partners to resist Russian conduct when it is inimical to global security,” she said.

It stands firm with other nations in condemning Russia, not only on the Ukraine issue but for other areas of disregard for international law and order.

Here’s the news the Russian embassy may have missed:

• The Netherlands is taking Russia to an international court over MH17, claiming the Kremlin is unwilling to take blame and pay compensation. Australia has supported this and in the last budget allocated $50 million for the fight.

• A total of 10,500 soldiers and 3313 civilians have been killed by the Russian military in eastern Ukraine, according to the UN.

• More than 1.5 million people in eastern Ukraine have been displaced and forced to find refuge in other parts of Ukraine.

• Ukraine has initiated legal proceedings against Russia in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing it of terrorism and human rights abuses following the annexation of Crimea.

• Russian troops continued to fight during the Christmas Day ceasefire.

Much of the world has been unequivocal in its opposition to Russia’s concept of foreign policy, but according to the embassy this is simply “Russophobia”.

Australians are too sophisticated to fall for it. But we must not become complacent in monitoring the tentacles of Russian propaganda, especially with a federal election looming.

Stefan Romaniw is chairman of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations and vice-president of the Ukrainian World Congress.