The Power of Repetition:
Psychological Warfare in Action
Elena Plotnikova / Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/elena.plotnikova.kossakowski
THE NETHERLANDS (March 18, 2025) — In any war, the battle isn’t just fought on the battlefield—it’s also fought in people’s minds. Propaganda, information warfare, and controlled narratives are key tools used by governments and media to manufacture consent and shape public opinion.
The Ukraine war is a textbook example of mass psychological operations (psyops), where carefully crafted narratives have manipulated Western public perception, suppressed critical debate, and ensured continued support for a disastrous military strategy.
One of the most effective propaganda tactics is repetition—if you say something often enough, people will internalize it as fact.
“Russia’s full-scale invasion” – Repeated endlessly to erase the fact that the war started in 2014, not 2022.
“Ukraine is winning” – Repeated despite battlefield failures, to justify continued weapons shipments.
“I Stand with Ukraine” – Transformed into a badge of social conformity rather than a critical stance.
These are not random phrases—they are carefully designed slogans meant to frame public perception in a way that benefits NATO’s geopolitical goals.
Top Psyops Used in the Ukraine War
- The “I Stand with Ukraine” Badge Campaign
Social conformity tool: Anyone not displaying the badge or Ukrainian flag risks being labeled pro-Russian.
Reduces a complex war into a moral slogan: Either you support Ukraine (and war) or you’re a villain.
Prevents questioning NATO’s role in the conflict: Wearing the badge becomes more about social acceptance than critical thinking.
This is a modern psyop equivalent to wartime propaganda posters, where civilians were encouraged to publicly signal their support for the war effort—whether by buying war bonds, reporting “traitors,” or supporting the draft.
- “Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion” – Erasing the Donbas War (2014-2022)
Psychological framing: By calling it a “full-scale invasion”, media erased the fact that the war had already been ongoing for eight years in Donbas.
Creates a false starting point: If war “started” in 2022, NATO and the U.S. cannot be blamed for provoking it.
Hides Western culpability: There is no mention of the 2014 U.S.-backed coup, the failure of the Minsk Agreements, or Ukraine’s shelling of its own citizens.
This is classic perception management—control the starting point of history, and you control the debate.
- The Ghost of Kyiv – A Manufactured War Hero
Fabricated propaganda: The story of a lone Ukrainian pilot taking down Russian jets was completely made up but spread widely by mainstream media.
Morale booster: It was used to manipulate public sentiment in the early days of the war.
Even when debunked, many refused to believe it was fake.
This was a Hollywood-style myth designed to rally support—just like the fabricated “Kuwaiti incubator babies” in 1991, which helped justify the Gulf War.
- The “Snake Island” Defiance – A Fake Martyr Story
The legend: Ukrainian border guards were reported to have been killed after telling a Russian warship to “Go f* yourself.”**
The truth: They surrendered and were taken alive—but the fake story was used to rally international support before being quietly corrected later.
Designed for Western audiences: This was another narrative reinforcing the idea of Ukraine as brave underdogs standing up to Russian tyranny.
- The “Russia Will Collapse” Narrative
Western media constantly claimed that sanctions would crush the Russian economy, leading to Putin’s downfall.
Reality: The Russian economy adapted, the ruble stabilized, and Russia deepened ties with China, India, and BRICS.
The psyop: This narrative was designed to convince Western populations that victory was inevitable, discouraging diplomatic efforts.
- The “Russia Is Running Out of Missiles” Lie
Repeatedly claimed by NATO analysts and media throughout 2022-2023.
Reality: Russia continued large-scale missile strikes, disproving the claim.
Psyop goal: Boost morale in the West and Ukraine, while giving the illusion that Russia’s military capacity was weakening.
- The “Evil Russia, Innocent Ukraine” Narrative
Russia’s crimes were widely reported (some real, some exaggerated).
Ukrainian war crimes were ignored:
- Shelling civilians in Donbas (2014-2022).
- Videos of Ukrainian soldiers executing Russian POWs.
- Neo-Nazi Azov Battalion’s atrocities.
Classic propaganda technique: One side is pure and noble, the other is entirely evil.
By ignoring Ukrainian crimes, media ensured one-sided outrage—a common propaganda tactic.
- Censorship of Dissent – “Pro-Russian” Labeling
Anyone questioning NATO’s role is labeled as “pro-Russian” or a “Putin apologist.”
Even high-level Western officials (like Jeffrey Sachs or John Mearsheimer) are marginalized when they critique NATO expansion.
Social media censorship: Pro-Russian perspectives were actively removed from platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
The goal? Eliminate all dissenting voices and enforce a single narrative.
- “Ukraine Is Winning” – A False Narrative to Justify More Weapons
Throughout 2022-2023, Western media pushed the idea that Ukraine was winning.
Reality: Ukraine’s counteroffensive failed, their army was depleted, and NATO support wavered.
Purpose of psyop: To ensure continued public support for arms shipments and prevent peace talks.
- Nord Stream Sabotage – The Psyop That Backfired
The West initially blamed Russia for blowing up its own pipeline.
Seymour Hersh’s investigation later showed that the U.S. was responsible.
Goal of the psyop: Prevent Europe from turning back to Russian energy.
Backfired: Germany and Europe lost access to cheap energy, severely damaging their economies.
Conclusion: Psyops as Warfare
The Ukraine conflict has been shaped as much by information warfare as by actual military battles. These psyops were designed to manipulate public perception, rally support, and suppress dissent.
The war didn’t start in 2022—it started in 2014.
NATO’s role in provoking Russia has been deliberately erased.
Most narratives people believe about Ukraine are the result of media-engineered psyops.
As the propaganda collapses, the real question is:
How many people will wake up—and how many will simply wait for the next psyop to begin?
Comments
Don Scheuerman —During World War I, the federal office of propaganda was the Committee on Public Information (CPI), also known as the Creel Committee. Headed by George Creel, it aimed to mobilize public opinion in support of the war effort through various forms of media.
Here’s a more detailed look:
Purpose: The CPI, established by President Woodrow Wilson in 1917, aimed to promote the war effort and convince Americans of the necessity of U.S. involvement.
Methods: The CPI used a wide range of propaganda techniques, including:
Posters: They created and distributed numerous posters to promote the war effort and recruit soldiers.
Films: The CPI produced films to promote the war effort and demonize the enemy.
Speeches: They trained “Four Minute Men” to deliver patriotic speeches in various locations, including movie theaters, churches, and labor unions.
Pamphlets and Publications: The CPI produced and distributed pamphlets, newspaper releases, and magazine advertisements to disseminate pro-war information.
Censorship: The CPI worked with the post office to censor seditious counter-propaganda.
Impact: The CPI’s efforts helped to shape public opinion and create a sense of national unity behind the war effort.
Legacy: Many of the techniques used by the CPI, such as using mass media to promote a cause, became standard practices in later propaganda campaigns. “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society.
“Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.”
Edward Bernays (recognized as the Father of modern public relations, marketing, propaganda)… Bernays places great importance on the ability of a propaganda producer, as he views himself, to unlock the motives behind an individual’s desires, not simply the reason an individual might offer. He argues, “Man’s thoughts and actions are compensatory substitutes for desires which he has been obliged to suppress.”[9]
Bernays suggests that propaganda may become increasingly effective and influential through the discovery of audiences’ hidden motives. He asserts that the emotional response inherently present in propaganda limits the audience’s choices by creating a binary mentality, which can result in quicker, more enthused responses. (as always, fact check).
Nicolas Davies — I would say that the term “full-scale invasion” is used, not to deny that the war started in 2014, but to brand the civil war over Donbas as a “less-than-full-scale invasion” by Russia, rather than a civil war between the post-coup government and anti-coup Ukrainians in Donbas, who declared independence rather than accept the legitimacy of the post-coup government.
Young Ukrainians I have talked to deny that there was ever a civil war in Ukraine, and call that “Russian propaganda,” which surprised me at first. How can they not know that a civil war killed 14,000 people in their own country? But they have been taught that this was always an inter-state war between Russia and Ukraine, as a result of a Russian invasion in 2014.
