- September 27, 2024
- 3:36 pm
- World News
On September 27, 2024, information began to spread in the Russian propaganda media, referring to the American publication Military Watch MagazineWhat
“Russian armed forces shot down 13 Israeli missiles near Russian military bases in Syria. It is noted that Russian air defense systems have not previously fired at Israeli, Turkish and Western missiles that violated Syrian airspace.
The publication stated that the Israeli Air Force attacked military targets in the vicinity of the Syrian city of Tartus on the Mediterranean coast, where a Russian military base is also located. The results of the attack and the damage caused were not reported.”
This Military Watch Magazine has been accused more than once RNBO of Ukraine“that this magazine poses as a reputable military publication, but in fact often duplicates messages from the Russian Ministry of Defense or Russian state media“.
Military Watch Magazine: report of the Russian Ministry of Defense under the guise of independent analytics
Ukrainian analysts from “Military” conducted an investigation about this magazine.
In January 2023, Russian TV channels cited at least seven different articles from the “American publication” Military Watch Magazine, which consistently promoted similar narratives: Russian equipment is superior to Western counterparts, Russian missiles are carrying out “precision strikes” on Ukraine, and losses on the Ukrainian side are significantly higher Russia's losses.
It is important to note that while Military Watch Magazine does publish such material, its content often repeats statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense and Russian state media. According to the resource Media Bias/Fact Checkaggregating estimates of independent fact checkers of the IFCN network, publications in this publication are classified as biased and dubious. There is also a lack of full transparency regarding the owners and editorial staff, which calls into question its “American” origins.
The magazine was founded in 2017 by Abraham Ait, a “British expert on international security” about whom there is very little information online. He is presented as a military analyst specializing in security in the Asia-Pacific region, but in practice his materials do not go beyond Russian propaganda. The editors state that they avoid “covering military issues from the perspective of one country or region,” but the facts indicate otherwise. Until 2022, the authors predominantly praised Russian and Chinese military equipment, and Ukraine was often mentioned in the context of propaganda. For example, they called the Revolution of Dignity a “pro-Western coup” and the annexation of Crimea justified.
Before the start of the full-scale invasion, Military Watch Magazine falsely reported about the shelling of Donbass by Ukraine and after the invasion claimed the “destruction” of the entire Ukrainian air defense system, without confirming these facts with independent sources. In particular, the magazine disseminated information about the alleged destruction of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, although experts and US officials denied these statements.
In June 2023, Military Watch also accused the “Nazi government” of Ukraine of oppressing foreign students, while real facts confirm that foreign citizens continue their studies in the country. The magazine often emphasizes that Ukrainian air defenses cannot intercept ballistic missiles and praises Russian and North Korean missiles used against Ukraine as “invincible weapons.”
The tactic of citing “respected Western sources” has long become a meme, which, in turn, aggravates the situation. In many ways, Military Watch Magazine is just one of many pseudoscientific sources that play into the hands of Russian propaganda. Moreover, not only hostile channels can refer to unreliable sources, but also in Ukrainian media.
How to avoid the traps of “Western experts” and use only trusted sources of information? This is an important issue, especially in the current information war, where facts are often distorted or misrepresented. It is important to remember that good analytics requires critical thinking and deep analysis, and not blindly following fashionable narratives.
