“Purely Russian hype”: political strategist says he revealed who is really pushing the migrant topic in Ukraine

Political strategist Mykhailo Sheitelman explained that there is more noise around the topic of migrants in Ukraine than there are migrants themselves, and it is already becoming clear that Russians are behind it, reports Politeka.

He said this in his blog.

According to the expert, leaflets have started appearing on the streets of Kyiv showing images of migrants with the text: “This is what the ‘new Europeans’ look like. Are you ready for such ‘new Ukrainians’? Our people are fighting not for such Ukraine. Oppose the influx of migrants. Stop the destruction of Ukraine.” These leaflets, he notes, are being taped to poles with adhesive tape. Migrants, the expert argues, are not actually that numerous on the streets, so it seemed like a deliberate provocation by someone — and now there is an answer.

“When I see such leaflets, I understand that Russians are doing this. I know this kind of political technology. They hire Ukrainians, send them a ready-made design, and they just have to print it and stick it with tape. It’s the simplest method. Anyone can be told to do it, anyone is capable. Then the person has to take a photo, and for each photo they get 20 hryvnias. That’s roughly the algorithm,” explains Mykhailo Sheitelman.

According to him, only Russians could have come up with this, because a normal political strategist trying to stir up tension in Ukraine over the migrant issue would work through political parties; moreover, this issue can be raised in parliament — it is not prohibited, Ukraine has pluralism of opinions, unlike Russia. That is why such a tactic is used. In addition, the expert adds, these leaflets contain no phone number, no organization name, nothing — they are homemade. If Ukrainian citizens were behind it, they would have created a public organization and called on people to join.

“But how funny Russians are, right? How amusingly they try to carry out provocations without taking our reality into account. They proceed from their own reality and try to apply it in Ukraine. That’s a mistake. First you should teach your own… Although, who am I talking to? I wanted to address Russian propagandists, saying you should at least teach your own people first, but then I thought — who would teach them, they are all the same anyway. Well, that’s the situation. In short, now I know for sure that all of this is purely Russian hype,” concludes Mykhailo Sheitelman.