Mandarin-speaking Ukrainians are using Chinese social networking platforms in an effort to provide information about the Russian invasion and gain public support in China. They translate the latest developments in the war into Chinese, including victim information and analysis, and publish them on their accounts on popular social networking sites such as WeChat and Weibo. Do you have questions about the biggest issues and trends from around the world? Get answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new editorial content platform with explanations, frequently asked questions, analysis and graphs provided by our award-winning team. Roman Khivrenko, 32, said the information available in China – on social media platforms and in the state media – was heavily influenced by Russia. “We want to tear down the propaganda wall and show the Chinese what is really going on,” said Khivrenko, who studied international relations at China’s Renmin University in Beijing. Roman Khivrenko publishes updates on the situation in Ukraine on his Chinese social media accounts. Photo: WeChat alt = Roman Khivrenko publishes updates on the situation in Ukraine on his Chinese social media accounts. Photo: WeChat> China has refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine or call them an invasion – a line closely followed by Chinese state media. Beijing has also advertised humanitarian aid and called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, but has resisted pressure to use leverage with Moscow as a close ally to push for an end to the war. And there is growing suspicion in the West that Beijing could help Moscow circumvent sanctions and provide Russia with military equipment. Ukrainian Internet celebrity “Masha” is among those who took part in the information war on Chinese social media. The story goes on She publishes videos of the situation in her hometown, Kostiantynivka, in the eastern part of Donetsk, where she reunited with her parents after leaving Kyiv. “In my homeland, people have to hide in underground shelters when air raid sirens sound,” Massa says in fluent Chinese in a video posted on Weibo, TikTok and Xigua Video. “There is not enough bread, all the banks are out of cash … but people can not buy food without cash. The place seems to be dying quietly,” he says. The videos of Massa’s “war life” have garnered more than 1 million views. Photo: YouTube alt = Massa’s “war life” videos have garnered more than 1 million views. Photo: YouTube> Massa studied Chinese language and literature at the Taras Shevchenko National University in Kiev and spent nine months studying in China. Her videos of “war life” have garnered more than 1 million views and now have over 600,000 followers. Writer, musician and artist Ivan Semasiuk, 42, has meanwhile contributed articles and documentaries – published on social media platforms around the world in Chinese and other languages - in an effort to explain Ukrainian stories. and Russia. According to analysts, the Russian attack strengthened Ukraine’s national identity and pushed people to defend their country in different ways. “The Russian invasion has had such a devastating effect on the consolidation of Ukrainian national identity, it has instilled patriotism in the younger generations,” said Eagle Yin, a researcher at the Chinese Institute for International and Strategic Studies in Beijing. This view was echoed by Hong Kong-based defense analyst Liang Guoliang, who said Russian President Vladimir Putin had underestimated the Ukrainian resistance, driven by national identity. For Ukrainians like Khivrenko, part of this resistance is the struggle against propaganda. He said they did not expect anything from the Chinese people, but hoped that Beijing “would not support Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.” This article first appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice report on China and Asia for over a century. For more SCMP stories, explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2022 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2022. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
