Russia’s propaganda effort in Oleshky falls flat, analyst says

Ukrainian political scientist Ihor Reiterovych stated on Nov. 2 that Russia's investment in covering the evacuation from Oleshky, Kherson Oblast, fell short of achieving its goals. Reiterovych noted that Ukrainian journalists were scarcely present during the evacuation, with just two present — one from 1+1 and one from ICTV. He explained that Russia had dictated which media outlets could be present, making it challenging to achieve parity.

Reiterovych attributed the limitations not only to Russia but also to the United States, which sent fewer journalists than desired. However, he praised U.S. journalists for pleasantly surprising him, citing reporting by Newsmax that highlighted the area's occupation by Russia, controlling the camera perspective. "In short, it seems to me that the Russians invested an order of magnitude more in presenting this story to the outside world," Reiterovych said.

"We should have prepared substantial reports and created an information hub in Kyiv or closer to temporarily occupied Oleshky. That would have allowed Western journalists to speak with people involved in the situation and those who had been evacuated, rather than once again obtaining all their information from Russian media." Despite Russia's heavy investment, Reiterovych concluded that they failed to effectively advance their narratives.