On the very first day of Russia’s invasion, a tiny island along Ukraine’s Black Sea coast became an early target. It was a minor military loss that Kyiv would turn into a major propaganda victory, in a narrative aimed at a Western audience as much as a domestic one.
Ukraine was about to show its strength at information warfare in the global arena; Russia, to reveal its unexpected weakness at influencing foreign opinion in this conflict, especially in the West.
“Its standing in the world is damaged, probably beyond repair,” said Ilya Metveev, a St. Petersburg-based political analyst. Moscow “understands now
