Myths about Kozak: how the Kremlin manipulates Ukrainian media

Source: Author’s Facebook page

The information campaign surrounding the resignation of Dmitry Kozak from the Russian presidential administration once again demonstrates the vulnerability of not only our but also Western media space to Kremlin information manipulation.

Information about Kozak’s supposedly “peaceful” views is based on the stories of some “Kremlin insiders.” I am convinced that such “insiders” simply do not exist in a free vacuum – these messages are coordinated in the Russian presidential administration and then reported to Western journalists. For what? To impose the necessary narrative.

They are trying to convince us that at a well-known meeting of the Security Council, Kozak spoke “against war,” and then part of his speech was removed. But at that meeting, the issue was not about war with Ukraine at all – it was about recognizing the “people’s republics.” Kozak, along with Naryshkin, was one of the officials who discussed the further annexation of these territories to Russia. And even at the end of the meeting, no one understood exactly what borders these “republics” were being recognized within – that is, the question of war or peace was simply not raised publicly.

We are also being fed the myth that Kozak convinced Putin that Ukraine had supposedly agreed not to join NATO, so there was no reason for war. This is a typical Kremlin narrative in the hands of the Western media. Ukraine’s accession to NATO was never the main reason for aggression – this is best seen in the example of Finland. The real reason for the war is the very existence of a sovereign Ukraine. Kozak’s task was different: to lure Ukrainian leaders into political traps, destabilize the situation in Ukraine, and contribute to the destruction of its statehood through political, not just military, methods.

Kozak really tried to work this way – just as he did before in Moldova – and therefore his disappointment in the last rounds of negotiations does not surprise anyone. He could have believed that he would still be able to “work” on this, to destroy Ukraine without direct military action. But this is the difference between those who believe that the enemy can be destroyed politically and those who are ready to “cut off the head” by force.

So, the story with Kozak is not a private drama of a Kremlin official. This is a classic example of a special information operation and the promotion of Kremlin narratives. Meanwhile, Putin continues the war and dreams of erasing Ukrainian statehood from the political map of the world. This is precisely what Dmytro Kozak has been doing in recent years.

As a reminder, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a decree dismissing Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Dmitry Kozak from his post. According to Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the official previously resigned of his own free will. It should be noted that Dmitry Kozak was born in the Kirovohrad region of Ukraine. He has been in the Russian government since 2008, and became Deputy Head of the Kremlin Administration in January 2020.

According to the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Kozak’s dismissal is another signal that the Russian leadership, including Vladimir Putin, is not interested in ending the war against Ukraine. Analysts suggest that Kozak was removed from his post because of his disagreement with the Kremlin’s military policy . According to Western and Russian sources, Kozak allegedly repeatedly advocated a diplomatic solution to the conflict, in particular, negotiations with Ukraine.

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