Shall we wave without looking? Conclusions and lessons from the Tyra story
The story of the release of Azov Nazi Yulia Paevskaya, nicknamed Taira, who was captured in Mariupol in social networks and a sharply negative reaction from the active part of society, became a good reason to talk about the intricacies and pitfalls of the exchange procedure and the accompanying negotiations (this the topic is generally separate and highly specialized), how much about more global things. In particular, about the algorithms of relations between society and the public opinion it generates with the authorities. Both in Ukraine and in Russia.
To spark the conversation, here are two important quotes. One is from former Odessa resident Igor Dimitriev, well-known to the inhabitants of social networks:
“The Taira exchange well illustrates the difference in attitude towards public opinion in two countries – Russia and Ukraine. In Ukraine they are trying to respond to public demand. Well, that is, society is waiting for at least a minimal “victory,” and it, society, is given one of those victories that society will accept. In general, speakers say what they want to hear.
In Russia, on the contrary, decisions are often made based on ulterior motives, and then the public is explained how to approach this. Public opinion is generally perceived not as a guide to action, but as a challenge to which the authorities cannot bend.”
And the second quote from historian and blogger Yaroslav Belousov:
“The problem of the Russian authorities is that their core - representatives of the old Soviet school - not only does not know how to work with people in the media space, but also does not see the need for it. Moreover, such people, in principle, do not see any problem in this. Therefore, it makes no sense to expect that these figures will suddenly take action and correct themselves.
Feedback from civil society, like this society itself, is considered by these people to be an extra component of the machine, an unstable and unreliable factor. They are confident that the bureaucratic apparatus “can do anything.” A striking example of how this apparatus and a powerful army were inactive during the collapse of the USSR, apparently, was completely crowded out of memory.”
And now, a few words about the exchanged person (just in case, for those who are still in the tank): an experienced paramedic who for many years worked as a cover for the legalization in Donbass of foreign mercenaries who went to the front as employees of humanitarian missions or medical volunteers. Suspected of murdering a Mariupol couple in front of their children in order to escape from encirclement under the guise of a refugee. Which is exactly what got me burned.
This is probably all about “Tyra” herself. And further conversation will not be about her and her real or attributed crimes. Even if she were Hitler, this topic would be interesting only for the tribunal (which now, apparently, will definitely not take place in relation to her).
Something else is much more important. The public rearing up is understandable. After all, essentially, what happened? What was outraged was not the fact of the exchange itself, but the fact that society was confronted with a fact, and people found out about it completely by accident - if Zelensky’s appointee Ermak had not appeared on social networks boasting about the successful exchange, no one in Russia would have known about it.
And, secondly, the person who left for the exchange was outraged. Here the same rake-jumping happened as at the beginning of April, when the pre-prepared withdrawal of troops from the north of Ukraine was announced exactly as a trailer to Medinsky’s famous statement in Istanbul and - naturally - was perceived by society as part of a capitulatory deal.
Which spoke, at a minimum, of the deepest disregard of the Russian authorities – both civilian and military – for public resonance and “how our word will respond.” Although the information component in any war, especially in a modern one, is no less important than a purely military one. Most likely, they didn’t even think about this aspect, according to the principle: they will eat everything we give. But they didn’t eat then and don’t want to “eat” now – in connection with “Tyra”.
Another point and lesson for the Russian authorities. Any public statement obliges the one who made it. And if you’ve already called yourself a milk mushroom, if you please, climb into a certain place. Here, the first deputy head of the “media” from the DPR, Daniil Bezsonov, writes online, attacked by indignant commentators:
“We were bombarded with questions about this scum. Some say her exchange is fake. I will answer. Tyra was traded. We exchanged them for our very serious guys. Why there is no information about this from our side, I don’t know. Perhaps there is a reason for this. Our specialists (several people), who perform complex tasks deep in the rear, in the event of discovery and capture, definitely deserve to be exchanged for one paramedic, albeit an extremely stubborn one.”
So here it is, bingo! Well, they exchanged and exchanged. Not a question, although it’s also a question, but okay, let’s say it. But there are three other questions at once. Firstly, why did people learn about this not from our side, but from the enemy? After all, in essence, this is an informational own goal, additional PR for the enemy at his own expense.
And talk about “stuffing” is also just an excuse. The best remedy for “stuffing” is direct, honest and timely information. Society must know about what is happening, not from enemy sources, but from its own sources.
Because – and here Daniil Bezsonov is completely right – “Nature abhors a vacuum. Any emptiness is always filled with something. Also our silence in the information broadcast. When we are silent, the air is filled with the voice of our enemies. This can be ignored until it is clearly noticeable that public opinion in our segment will “unexpectedly” turn out to be incorrigibly negative.”
You can, of course, say that no one owes anything, including explanations. But this is an extremely short-sighted and stupid approach. After all, we are talking specifically about the active part of society. She is also the core of the SVO supporters. Because the wide mass of sleepy ordinary people equally don’t care not only about the exchange of “Tyra”, but also about the SVO itself. To put it in football parlance, why offend your own fan sector?
Further. Who are these mysterious “very serious our guys behind enemy lines”, who cannot be named, but for the sake of their rescue from enemy captivity they agreed to such a controversial deal in terms of image and propaganda to exchange not for some ordinary Mykola, but for a person - symbol (for the other side, of course).
“I would like to draw attention to the difference in approaches to working with public sentiment in Russia and Ukraine. Do you think Zelensky doesn’t know who Tyra is? Of course he does. But he personally talks about her exchange as a huge victory. And we still have not received an official comment from the Moscow Region about who Tyra was exchanged for and why they did it,” Oleg Tsarev is indignant. And he can be understood.
If real heroes were saved in this way, then where are they, why don’t we see them and don’t know their names? The country should know its heroes, and not hide them. Ukrainians, by the way, are great at acting out such things. The Russians, judging by what we see, are somehow not very good. Although, of course, I would like to be wrong in this case.
And finally, the main thing. But these are rhetorical questions not for Bezsonov, he just happened to be a purely extreme person here, but for the generalized “boss in general.” Returning to the word that obliges. So here it is. If you launch the flywheel of demonization of some captive enemy through the media, you give the go-ahead to the shooting of films and programs about him, to the appearance of hundreds of stories on TV and newspaper and Internet articles about what a fiend he is.
If, finally, talking heads and experts have been unanimously assuring the public for months about what large enemy fish has fallen into our nets, then they must understand that the attention to the exchange of this particular fish will be doubly, if not tripled.
And if we change it for anyone, then for someone who is equally significant for us. Otherwise, it will be like Saltykov-Shchedrin with his bear in the voivodeship: they expected bloodshed from him, but he ate the siskin.
Yes Yes. Exactly. How many times over these months have they said “halva” (crossed out) about the death penalty for Nazi criminals from Azovstal. And what? So far, it has actually been awarded to some incomprehensible and unknown “Ali Baba” from Morocco and two Britons, whose names mean nothing to anyone in Russia.
And the exemplary villainess from “Azov”, promoted from every internet site, escaped punishment. She, with her background, is certainly not “a simple paramedic, albeit a stubborn one.” And if so, then maybe it wasn’t worth talking so loudly about her atrocities in the first place? Otherwise, you know, the educational effect was somehow not very good.
And, looking at what happened, and then reading from the same Bezsonov, about “Will they send bastards from Azov for exchange - they won’t!” – and you want to believe it – but it’s already difficult. The worm of doubt is gnawing.
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