Is Russia Truly Sympathetic to Palestine?

For an upcoming book chapter, I am analyzing Russia's Channel One portrayal of Israeli actions in Gaza. Here I am sharing some brief observations and analysis.

What are the narratives?

News segments frequently feature Ukraine and Israel together, with Channel One emphasizing that both are portrayed as puppets of the West.

Channel One adopts a critical stance toward Israel, highlighting the humanitarian crisis, giving voice to Palestinians and emphasizing their suffering.

Russia is portrayed as a loyal adherent to international norms and standards, in contrast to the 'Collective West', which is depicted as manipulating, ignoring, or selectively applying them.

Why is this happening?

Channel One’s task appears to be ensuring that no positive comparison can be made between Russia and Israel.

The constructed narrative actively emphasizes the differences in their respective approaches. Both Ukraine and Israel are accused of killing civilians, while Russia is framed as a counterforce. In the case of Ukraine, Russia is portrayed as proactively fighting a “neo-Nazi regime”; in both contexts, it is shown to “condemn” attacks on civilians and the Western support behind them.

Russia is hijacking decolonial narratives to appeal to audiences in the Global South. In doing so, it pursues several objectives simultaneously: garnering support, denying its colonial past and imperial present, demonizing the West, and justifying its invasion of Ukraine.

Is there genuine compassion with Palestine?

That's a definite no. The political programme Time Will Show, aired on 2 November 2024, is an epitome of Channel One’s hypocrisy. The central argument put forward is: “If the West has no issue with Israeli actions in Palestine, why should it criticize Russia’s actions in Ukraine?” 

In making this comparison, Russia implicitly acknowledges its colonial conduct, comparable to that of Israel, but demands exemption from criticism. This contradictory stance is further exposed within the same episode, where guests speak of the threat posed by “Islamic barbarians.”

The veneer of Russia as a defender of global justice and ally of the Global South against the so-called "Collective West" is thus remarkably thin and slips easily. The real objective is to construct a discursive labyrinth in which Russia is glorified, the West is demonized, and diverse audiences are fed whatever message they seek—be it support for Palestine, anti-migrant rhetoric, or the racist narrative that European civilization is being destroyed from within by Africans and Arabs. All the narratives can appear in a single episode.