“Breaking Through Crimea’s Information Blockade,” “Firsthand Truth,” “12 Brave Souls”—in their reports on this visit, Russian propaganda media seemed to be competing to see who could be the most bombastic. Zakhar Prilepin wanted to bring “reporters from all over the world” to the occupied peninsula. The propagandist’s initiative was supported by the Russian Foreign Ministry. The project was named “Foreign Journalists for Russia,” but implementing it turned out to be no easy task. Nevertheless, no sooner said than done, and twelve foreign guests were indeed brought to Crimea. For three days, they were “shown around” the most beautiful parts of the peninsula, taken on excursions to the Livadia Palace and the Yevpatoria Juma Mosque, and organized a televised meeting with Gauleiter Aksyonov, after which they gave interviews, promising to return home and tell their countries about the happiness that Russia had brought to Crimea.

Russian propaganda had no trouble listing these countries: China, Turkey, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Ecuador, North Macedonia, Congo, Japan, and Ethiopia. But even the most seasoned fighters on the information front lacked the nerve to call the visitors “journalists.” So some of the guests became “bloggers,” while the rest were labeled “experts,” “columnists,” “political analysts,” and “politicians.” We decided to cover each delegate’s background in detail.

African Russophile

The media sphere of the Republic of the Congo was represented by Crispian Kabasele Chimanga Babanya. There are few mentions of this figure in the public sphere. All that is known is that his party, UDPS-Kibassa, has poll numbers at the level of statistical error. He also heads the organization “National Movement of Russophiles of Congo,” and things are going more successfully there. Babanja coordinates the work of a network of local bloggers who disseminate content from Russian state media and regularly appears on Russian propaganda outlets as an “international expert.” In recent years, he has distinguished himself as an “observer” at Russian-organized referendums in occupied territories, and traveled from Crimea to Moscow, where he participated in the “Sovinter” forum, introducing himself as an “honorary senator of the Republic of the Congo.”

Ecuadorian Presence

The “Presenza International News Agency” (translated from Italian as “presence” – Ed.) sent its president, Walker Fernando Viscarra Gabor, to Crimea. Almost immediately upon arrival, he stated that he saw how “Crimea is moving forward in harmony among all peoples.” The agency he heads received an assessment from the U.S. State Department in 2023 — it is cited as one of two key Kremlin-funded channels through which Russian propaganda is disseminated into the country. Viscarra Gabor’s media career was preceded by work as a photography teacher and research on education in prison.

“Air from the Heavens”

Russian propagandists referred to the Japanese guest, Kazuhiro Hayashida, as a “political scientist” and “publicist.” We were unable to find any of this author’s journalistic work in the public domain, which is not surprising given the metaphors he used to amuse even Crimean readers, who are used to just about anything. In an interview summarizing his trip, Hayashida stated: “Here, the air descends from the heavens, and it seems that this preserves a Russian tradition.” However, the Japanese man’s political writings are of interest only to outlets such as RIA Novosti, TASS, and Russia Today. In their articles, he criticizes Japan’s cooperation with the West and calls for friendship with Moscow.

Dugin’s Turkish Voice

Among the “independent journalists” is Özgür Altınbaş, editor of the international news section of the Turkish newspaper Aydınlık. This publication is the official media outlet of the Vatan political party, known for its anti-Western stance. The party consistently advocates for Turkey’s withdrawal from NATO and an alliance with Russia, China, and Iran. Vatan’s leader, Doğu Perinçek, is known for his close ties to Russian political circles, particularly with ideologue Alexander Dugin. This is not Altınbaş’s first visit to the occupied Ukrainian territories. In 2023, he traveled to the Donetsk region, where he interviewed local collaborators.  

Macedonian Left

Another frequent visitor to the occupied territories was spotted in the delegation: Goran Dimov from North Macedonia. Russian propagandists portray him as a functionary of the “Left” party, but the party has stated that “Dimov is not an official representative, advisor, or employee of the party’s bodies.” Local investigative journalists have compiled an exhaustive dossier on Dimov’s activities and identified him as a key figure in promoting Russian narratives in North Macedonia and an active participant in the Kremlin’s hybrid operations.

Chinese, Nicaraguan, and Ethiopian guests, however, preferred to stay out of the spotlight, even in the Russian media. Their names, positions, and occupations remained unknown to the general public.