The bridge between Russia and the Crimean peninsula is Vladimir Putin’s prestige project. However, he is not alone in having a close relationship with the bridge.
When Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014, it was met with international sanctions and condemnations.
Four years later, Putin was on hand to open the real crown jewel of a huge infrastructure project. A 19 kilometer long bridge between Russia and the Crimean peninsula, which formally linked the two lands.
The bridge was touted as Vladimir Putin’s prestige project, but a close four-legged ally also claimed to be behind the bridge.
According to Russia (and the cat itself), the Mostik cat, or “Bro”, is the symbol of the Crimean bridge.
Where the annexation of Crimea has been condemned by the West, support has been strong in Russia. This is where Mostik comes in.
It was early October powerful explosions on Krimbroa and many have pointed to Ukraine as the mind, and in October it was eight people arrested after the explosion.
A few days ago, the Russian Defense Ministry released a video of Mostik “inspecting” the bridge after the explosion.
Maskoten Mostik
The images of the Mostik cat strolling on the bridge, basking in the sun or “inspecting” the bridge with a work helmet were shared by the Russian Defense Ministry, among others.
He also appeared on Russian TV and media.
But Mostik also has his own Instagram and Telegram channel. In the biography on Instagram it says:
– I built the bridge over the Crimea, now I study Crimea.
Mostik’s history goes back several years. According to Russia, the cat was adopted by construction workers several years ago when work on the bridge began.
It has stayed close to the bridge ever since and has become its mascot.
Propaganda of sweetness
Why does VG write about a seemingly innocent cat?
While many may see Mostik as the cute cat he is, the use of animals during wars and conflicts is not unusual.
– It is a way of humanizing oneself or an idea.
This is what Maria Darwish says. She is a researcher at the University of Örebro in Sweden and she is looking for so-called “cuteness propaganda”, or cuteness propaganda, if you prefer.
– Sweetness triggers an emotional response that is dominant and preponderant and that colors the context. Sweetness can be used as a form of strategic tool, a manipulation.
There is an idea that animals can know and notice who is good and who is bad, Darwish explains.
– Whoever has such a bond with animals can only be good. In conflict, it becomes more important and gives a strong message about who the good guys are.
– What does the cat actually symbolize? It symbolizes something real, something innocent.
It is unknown who is behind Mostik’s Instagram profile, although Mostik himself claims to be his own master.
Ukraine: example of Russian propaganda
A 2019 survey by independent Russian media Proekclaimed Mostik was part of the Kremlin’s PR machine.
Ukraine, for its part, said of Washington Post in 2019 Mostik was part of the Russian propaganda.
– Mostik is an unsophisticated example of Russian propaganda aimed at humanizing the Russian annexation of Crimea, Ukrainian official Viktor Yelensky, who wrote a longer article on the Mostik cat in 2019, told the newspaper.
When the bridge opened in May 2018, Putin held a solemn ceremony and crossed the bridge in a truck as first, but in an Instagram post Mostik boasted that it was he who was the first to cross the bridge.
Not Putin.
– First run 19 km. It is all ready. Tomorrow I will open the bridge with the builders and the president! says the caption of the post, which was posted the day before Putin himself crossed the bridge in a truck.
The so-called “propaganda of sweetness” is nothing new. It actually goes a long way back, Darwish explains.
On Thursday night, Mostik did not answer VG’s questions about whether he is part of a sweetheart propaganda. It is also unclear whether he is capable of doing this.
