Never let a crisis go to waste

In the Kremlin’s playbook of manipulation, every crisis, every tragedy, is an asset. The Israel-Iran escalation is no exception.

The Kremlin’s disinformation machine appears to follow a simple motto: never let a good crisis or tragedy go to waste. Whether it is natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, or wildfires; political upheavals, like Maidan; or ongoing armed conflicts, like in Gaza, the Kremlin propagandists see an opportunity where others see suffering.

The recent escalation between Israel and Iran serves as a stark case study of this cynical maxim. The Kremlin disinformation spinners have started to exploit the developing conflict, weaving narratives designed to whitewash its allies, demonise adversaries, deflect from its own continued aggression in Ukraine, and ultimately, advance its strategic interests.

Manufacturing innocence

Moscow has embarked on a campaign to sanitise Iran’s public image, portraying the human rights trampling theocracy as a peaceful nation unjustly targeted. Pro-Kremlin outlets are actively spreading demonstrably false narratives claiming that Iran has never invaded any country, carried out assassinations, or sought nuclear weapons.

This revisionist take on history completely ignores Iran’s deep involvement in regional destabilisation through proxies including Hezbollah and the Houthis, its documented state-sponsored assassinations, and its significant advancements in uranium enrichment far beyond civilian needs.

By focusing almost exclusively on the alleged image of Iranian innocence, the Kremlin seeks to maximise the perceived injustice of any Israeli action, thereby strengthening condemnation of Israel. This in turn frames Iran as a more sympathetic victim on the global stage, thus twisting the conflict dynamics to provide a cover for an allied regime.

Sovereignty for me, but not for thee

As tensions flared up in the Middle East, Putin and Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rushed to condemn Israeli strikes against Iran as violations of national sovereignty and the UN Charter. The Kremlin’s sudden discovery of international law would be touching, if it were not so transparently cynical.

Nevertheless, this sudden devotion to international principles conveniently evaporates when discussing Russia’s own full-scale, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine – the most significant breach of sovereignty in Europe since World War II. For decades now, Russia has systematically sought to dismantle Ukrainian sovereignty, yet its leaders and propaganda machine now attempt to champion these very norms when it suits its chosen narrative regarding Iran.

This selective application of sovereignty reveals a strategy where tragedies are exploited not for principled stands, but for geopolitical point-scoring. For the Kremlin, international law, agreements, and norms are simply tools to be wielded when convenient and discarded when inconvenient.

The self-serving ‘peacemaker’ with its selective empathy

Moscow has rushed to offer its services as a Middle East mediator attempting to position itself as a ‘responsible global actor’. This posture, however, is primarily self-serving.

As EU High Representative Kaja Kallas pointedly remarked on the unsustainability of Russia’s positioning, ‘Clearly Russia is not…anybody or Mr. Putin…is not somebody who can talk about peace while we see actions like this, and he is not a mediator that can really be considered’. Kallas further underscored the hypocrisy by adding, ‘We have to keep in mind that Iran has helped Russia to do these attacks also against Ukraine, and their cooperation is working in this regard. So, no, Russia cannot be mediator if they don’t really believe in peace’.

Russia’s sudden concern for peace and civilian protection disappears entirely when discussing its own conduct in Ukraine, including the deliberate targeting of Ukrainian hospitals, schools, residential buildings, and power stations. The peacemaker act is pure theatre, designed to exploit international attention, secure a foothold in the region, and polish Russia’s tarnished image whilst Moscow continues its merciless campaign of terror against Ukrainian civilians.

As Russian business media openly and cynically speculated, this conflict may deliver tangible benefits for Russia: higher oil prices boost Russia’s sanctioned economy, whilst Western military aid and political focus may get diverted away from Ukraine.

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Article and pictures first time published on the EUvsDisinfo web page. Prepared for publication by volunteers from the Res Publica - The Center for Civil Resistance.