As Ukrainians celebrated reclaiming a slew of territories, many Russian propagandists went into overdrive to cover the furthest thing they could from the war: the health of Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday afternoon.
The sudden shift came after pro-Kremlin Telegram channels seemed to grow increasingly frantic in recent days as Ukraine launched a surprise counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region, apparently taking advantage of Russia’s reallocation of forces to strike them when they were least expecting it.
The refrain “there’s no panic” flooded social media channels operated by the most staunch supporters of Russia’s war, even as video emerged of Russian forces being captured, the Ukrainian flag being raised in newly retaken towns, and Russian-backed authorities apparently closing up shop in areas now encircled by Ukrainian troops.
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The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces finally revealed the results of its ambitious counter-offensive on Thursday afternoon: more than 270 square miles of land reclaimed in the east and south of the country, and more than 20 villages in the Kharkiv region back under Ukrainian control.
Social media lit up with photos of Ukrainian soldiers proudly posing in front of signs in Shevchenkove, Borshchyvka, and Volokhiv Yar, areas where Russia’s military appeared to be confident they were in full control just a week earlier.
Russian propagandists appeared to melt into some kind of existential tug-of-war as the news trickled out, with one well-known Telegram channel, Novorossiya Z.O.V. Militia Reports, sharing videos of the Ukrainian flag raised above Balakliya before insisting it meant nothing, citing a local resident who said the Russians “left on their own,” and then posting a survey asking followers, “Is Queen Elizabeth still alive?”
Andrei Rudenko, a reporter for Russian state-run media who posts regular updates about the war, suggested perhaps a conspiracy was underway, asking if U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew into Kyiv on Thursday because the British queen died.
“Changes in global politics are possible …” he wrote.
Vladimir Rogov, one of the Russian proxy leaders in the Zaporizhzhia region, also appeared to suddenly shift focus, posting on Telegram a lengthy writeup of how, among other things, the queen’s death will temporarily paralyze public transport on the day of her funeral.
Tsargrad TV also joined in, declaring “London bridge is falling down” and posting a slew of reports on the queen’s dire health.
Even as many preferred to shift to the queen, however, some pro-Kremlin channels openly admitted to Russia’s recent defeats on the battlefield—and raged over what they described as Russians being abandoned.
“Millions of Russians from Kherson to Kupyansk are now not in the least bit sure that Russia is with them —forever,” read a post on the Zastavny Telegram channel acknowledging Russian losses.
“I am waiting for the correction of this tragic mistake,” the post read.
“And [Russian news outlets] RIA and Zvezda meanwhile are broadcasting about the British queen,” another channel complained.
