Even Nonagenarians Can Be Propaganda

On August 1, 98-year-old World War II veteran Vasily Maximovich Maskalyonov was presented with a Russian passport by the governor of Pskov Oblast. But what might at first glance seem like a routine issuance of documents is actually part of a broader strategy of pro-Russian propaganda.

Maskalyonov recently moved to Pskov, in western Russia, from Latvia, where he had lived most of his life. According to Pskov governor Mikhail Vedernikov, "the authorities of the European state considered the Russian pensioner dangerous to society"; in other words, the Latvian government had discriminated against him, forcing him to relocate.

The Pskov governor's ceremony welcoming Maskalyonov included the presentation of a medal and was attended by journalists from the highest echelons of Russian media.

Maskalyonov's story feeds into a larger narrative that Russia is a place of refuge for those beleaguered by a "fascist" West. In August 2022, the Kremlin posted a video calling on English-speakers to move to Russia for features such as its "ballet," "cheap taxi and delivery," "Christianity," and "beautiful women." In July 2024, a Latvian pro-Kremlin activist who was in legal trouble for heading the group "Baltic Anti-Fascists" and his five-year-old daughter crossed the border to Russia on a stand-up paddleboard. More recently, Moscow touted the story of the Huffman family, who moved from the U.S. in search of a community more in line with their values, to mixed success.

Fueling the fire are stories of "Russophobia," in which Russians allege discrimination at the hands of Westerners. Countries like Latvia, which shares a border with Russia, have indeed cracked down, but these measures have largely been to blunt state efforts, not to oppress members of Russian minority groups.

Maskalyonov's case also has another level of pro-Kremlin-ness: his status as a veteran places him among the most venerated of Russian society. An offense against him in the West would read as particularly egregious.