It is no coincidence that Sir Keir Starmer started his premiership last summertime with a whirlwind of diplomacy activity: hosting the European Political Neighborhood top at Blenheim Palace, flying to Washington for the 75th anniversary Nato top, and declaring Britain’s function in supporting Ukraine. In doing so, he indicated Britain’s restored severity as a worldwide star. And while this might not constantly be completely valued in your home, it is being plainly signed up in Moscow.
Research study at the New Eurasian Methods Centre into Russian-language media– both conventional and social– reveals a sharp increase in attention paid to Starmer. Sometimes, the prime minister has actually gotten more than 4 times the protection of his Russian equivalent, Mikhail Mishustin. His media profile has actually tripled because last October, peaking throughout essential minutes: the London Top for the “union of the ready” in March, the finalizing of the UK-Ukraine 100-year security pact in January, and the statement in November that Britain had actually encouraged the United States to permit Storm Shadow rockets to be utilized versus targets inside Russian area. These are not random spikes– they show the Kremlin’s understanding that Britain is back in the video game.
Russian state broadcasters, such as Channel 1 and Russia 24, have actually represented Starmer as a challenge to peace, casting him along with Emmanuel Macron as part of a European front weakening settlements and controling Donald Trump. Simply as Boris Johnson was formerly implicated of hindering peace talks in Istanbul in 2022, Starmer is now illustrated as a quieter, however no less purposeful, spoiler. Britain is at the same time buffooned as a fading empire and feared as a nuclear puppet master– a contradiction that completely catches the design of Kremlin propaganda: plant doubt, misshape truth and turn assertive management into supposed warmongering.
This is not a brand-new script. Russia has actually long seen Britain with a mix of fascination and suspicion. The expression “the Englishwoman is constantly as much as nasty things”, which is still extensively priced quote in Russia, emerged throughout the 19th-century royal competitions in main Asia. From the Crimean War to the Cold War and into the post-Soviet duration, Britain has actually been cast as a meddlesome force working behind the scenes to ward off Russian interests. Boris Johnson, with his theatrics, made a simple target. Starmer, by contrast, is treated with wariness– less sound suggests a higher danger.
The New Eurasian Methods Centre’s Media Existence Index, which keeps track of more than 600,000 Russian sources daily, provides an uncommon insight into these moving stories. Starmer’s exposure is not unexpected. In a media system as firmly managed as Russia’s, protection of foreign leaders is deliberate. Presence signals danger. It suggests you are being taken seriously.
However Britain’s viewed danger surpasses weapons or diplomacy. Its soft power– cultural, legal, intellectual– stays prominent. From Shakespeare to the British Museum, from English-language media to universities, from the City of London to the BBC, Britain continues to be appreciated in Russia from this viewpoint. The Kremlin understands it– even if the British public frequently ignores it.
This describes the sharp tone of state media protection. Starmer is painted as part of a duplicitous “Anglo-Saxon” elite looking for to lengthen the war. The messaging shifts every day– Britain as an invested power one minute, and the engine of escalation the next. The objective is not coherence, however confusion, justification and polarisation.
Yet even within Russia, not all audiences are encouraged. Under anti-Starmer posts, a growing variety of “dislike” responses and other disapproving reactions recommend fractures in the propaganda wall. Narrative control might be tight, however dissent is not totally snuffed out.
In Russian media reasoning, prominence shows viewed danger. The UK’s function– particularly on Ukraine— has actually made it noticeable, trustworthy, and for that reason unsafe in the Kremlin’s eyes. That is why Starmer is being targeted.
However with this exposure comes higher obligation– not just to lead however to protect. Britain should counter disinformation abroad, enhance durability in your home, and maintain democratic worths. Starmer’s increasing profile might problem the Kremlin– however it is likewise evidence that Britain is as soon as again being counted as a major star that can install barriers to Russian objectives.
Katia Glod is deputy head of diplomacy at the New Eurasian Methods Centre