Revealing The Cruel Mindset of Russian State Media

Claiming the Rubble of Ukrainian Cities

A striking example of the mindset driving Russian state media can be seen in a video dispatch from the front lines of the war in Ukraine. In a clip shared on X (formerly Twitter) by BBC Monitoring’s Francis Scarr, prominent Russian war reporter Aleksander Sladkov, broadcasting for the state-owned Russia-1 channel, stands amidst the total devastation of Marinka.

Looking into the camera, Sladkov gestures to the apocalyptic landscape behind him and declares: “Вот она, наша Марьинка” (“Here she is, our Maryinka” ).

Russian state TV has aired a report from the ruins of Maryinka likening the town’s "liberation" to the taking of the Reichstag in 1945 pic.twitter.com/cfetckI7Ui
— Francis Scarr (@francis_scarr) December 27, 2023

Russian war reporter Aleksander Sladkov reporting from the ruins of Marinka.

Note: Where I have quoted Sladkov, I have used the Russian Cyrillic spelling (Марьинка) and its corresponding phonetics to accurately reflect his speech. Elsewhere, the standard, more common English romanisation (Marinka) is used to refer to the Ukrainian city.

At the time, I vividly remember watching this report on BBC News, and the Russian war reporter’s words and demeanour shocked me. Many years have passed since the fall of Marinka, but the vision of the reporting stayed with me. As Sladkov’s report perfectly illustrates the cruel mindset of Russian state media, I had always wanted to trace this report. I finally found it and am using it here because this type of Russian reporting is happening time and time again.

Marinka, a city in the Donetsk oblast, was subjected to months of relentless Russian artillery and bombardment. By the time Russian forces gained control of the area in December 2023, the city had been completely erased. Satellite imagery and drone footage showed that not a single house, apartment block, or school remained standing. It had been transformed into scorched earth.

Yet, standing in front of this complete ruin, a catastrophe caused entirely by his own nation’s military, Sladkov does not show remorse, solemnity, or even the grim sobriety one might expect from a reporter witnessing the erasure of a community. Instead, his tone is one of triumphant pride.

Illustrating the cruel mindset of Russian state media. — *Illustrating the cruel mindset of Russian state media*

“Here she is” – The Cruel Mindset of Russian State Media Revealed

Вот она, наша Марьинка

The phrase “Вот она, наша Марьинка” perfectly encapsulates the ultra-nationalist mindset of the Kremlin’s media apparatus. In Russian, “Вот она” carries a tone of presentation and satisfaction. It is the language used when finally revealing a long-sought prize. To a normal observer, the scene is an indictment of modern warfare and a human tragedy. To the state-sanctioned Russian reporter, the complete annihilation of a town is a trophy to be presented proudly to the audience back home.

The cruelty lies in the possessive nature of the statement. The Kremlin’s propaganda machine does not view the “liberation” of Ukrainian territory as the preservation or freeing of a people; it is viewed purely as a conquest of land, even if that land is rendered completely uninhabitable. They are proud to stand over the ashes and claim them as their own.

The Role of Propagandists

Vital components of the Russian state’s military campaign

Reporters like Sladkov are not independent journalists reporting on the realities of war; they are vital components of the Russian state’s military campaign. Their role is to normalise this level of destruction for the domestic audience, reframing total devastation as a glorious victory.

By analysing these broadcasts, we gain a clear insight into the psychology behind the invasion: a mindset that values territorial expansion over human life, and takes pride in pointing to a wasteland and saying, “This is ours.”