Putin held a rally on Friday and said that Russia would take control of four Ukrainian regions—Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia—following sham referendums in the partly occupied regions that have been decried by international communities as illegal.
The Russian leader spoke to crowds at a concert that sought to celebrate the claimed annexation of the territories. “Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Russia! Together for ever!” read a banner hung by the Kremlin on Manezh Square.
Local Telegram and Twitter channels have shared unedited clips that were taken at the event itself, alongside videos that appear to have cheers and chants added by state media.
On-the-ground clips show a lifeless crowd, with many standing still while holding Russian flags as they watch a speech by Ivan Okhlobystin, an actor and director, as well as a staunch Putin fan.
Okhlobystin called Putin’s war against Ukraine “holy,” and he led battle cries. Edited clips appear to show the audience cheer and applause in response, but the raw footage shared on Telegram shows just several responding positively to his speech.
It also comes amid reports that Russians were either paid to attend the event or bussed in.
“Here is a very good video that should be shown to anyone who says ‘all Russians are for the war,” Russian state activist George Alburov tweeted, sharing a clip that shows rows of buses.
“These are the buses that brought state employees to Putin’s rally yesterday. There were no people who wanted to rejoice at the occupation of part of Ukraine for free and without coercion.”
Newsweek has been unable to verify the authenticity of the clip independently. However, BBC News spoke to many people who said they had been brought on buses as organized groups from towns outside of Moscow, with the majority being public-sector workers.
The BBC said that many people were unwilling to speak on the matter, refusing to say why they were at the event, while one woman didn’t know what the event was about.
Joanna Szostek, an associate fellow with Chatham House, a U.K. think tank, told Newsweek that Russian propagandists “can and will fake anything, when the need arises.” She said that the practice of bussing people in to state-sponsored political events, and editing footage, is well established by the Kremlin.
State employees have reported to have been given directives by their bosses to attend Kremlin rallies in the past, for example, Szostek said.
Days after Russia illegally proclaimed the annexation of the four regions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that he doesn’t know where Russia’s “new Western border is.”
Peskov said Russia has yet to finalize the borders of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
“We will continue to consult with the people who live in those regions,” Peskov said during a conference call, without elaborating. He added that he could not go into detail about what format the consultation would take.
“I’ve said all I can say on that,” Peskov said, when asked for further clarification on the matter.
Peskov said the borders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) may become part of Russia within its borders established in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea from Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the “attachment” of occupied regions to Russia would signify the end of any negotiations with Moscow.
Newsweek has reached out to Russia’s Foreign Ministry for comment.
