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Russia’s state-sanctioned satirical magazine Krokodil (Crocodile), published between 1922 and 2008, produced state-approved cartoons, photographs, and commentary. Almost wholly political in nature, it pushed the party line on national and international affairs. Unlike its Western equivalents such as the US publications The Onion and Weekly World News, Canada’s World News Daily Report, and the UK’s Private Eye – which often began as rebellious, shoestring operations, Krokodil was published by Pravda, the state news outlet in Moscow and staffed by Kremlin-approved journalists. Satire was also prevalent among, what today would be called, dissident writers who camouflaged their opposition to the state and its institutes in fantasy. The most famous, at least to Western audiences, is Mikhail Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita.” It pilloried religion and the corruption of the state authorities inside the cloak of a quasi-biblical allegory – not that anyone was fooled about its true meanings. It remained unpublished until long after both Bulgakov and Stalin were dead. Jokes as fact A century later, reports in the independent Meduza and iStories news sites on the newest generation of Russian satirists show that they are closer in their approach to those Western satirical publications. Most of this new, mostly online, generation have emerged in the last decade and include Panorama (2017), Pezduza (Pussy) (2021), and Huyyaga (2019). Panorama, which in its fake biographical notes says it was founded in 1822, targets both the right and left with equal vigor but largely steers clear of comments on the war in Ukraine. The other two aim much of their derision at those who support the war without besmirching those who are fighting and dying for Putin. Huyyaga, based in St. Petersburg, began life mocking the city and regional authorities but once the war started switched much of its focus there. Other sites were set up specifically to support the war. The prime example is “Here’s my Yandex Wallet” which first appeared shortly after the full-scale invasion in 2022. It berates the usual targets of pro-Kremlin propaganda: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s “Nazis,” Joe Biden , Azov “Nazis,” Russian celebrities who have left, immigrants and the idea of LGBTQ+ society. So ridiculous it must be true Despite each of the publications including a “health warning” disclaimer on their sites along the lines of: “All information on this site is fictitious or parodies of reality intended to entertain and is not real news” – the authorities and the state media often don’t get the joke. The articles in Meduza and iStories catalogue a litany of jokes, often too absurd to be even considered “fake news,” that are regurgitated as fact by those who should know better. Here is just a sample quoted by iStories: From Panorama: A December 2017 editorial in Novye Izvestia denounced the decision to strip Russian children of the medals won during the International Physics Olympiad held in Indonesia because of cheating. In July, during the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia, a story about a Nizhny Novgorod store employee having sold condoms to foreign football fans was reprinted in several Russian sports magazines including Championat. In the same month it reported that scammers in Moscow had been taking football fans to a fake Lenin Mausoleum set up in an apartment in a city suburb which TASS rebutted after questioning an “anonymous source in law enforcement.” Sept. 25, 2020: Immigrants attacked buildings in an upmarket area of Paris because its residents failed to adopt and show respect for Sharia law. Sept. 24, 2021: The New People’s party planned to nominate Mikhail Gorbachev to stand as a candidate for as President of the Russian Federation in the 2024 elections. A March 2025 report said the US had cancelled its planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin because he came without a suit – accompanied by a photo of the Russian dictator in military combat uniform on a visit with Russia’s Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. Here’s my Yandex Wallet: Jan. 22, 2025: claimed that during an interview with Germany’s Spiegel by Kaja Kallas, Vice President of the European Council, said that all EU officials and politicians who visit Kyiv will receive the title of “combat veteran” with benefits that go with the honor. Sept. 10, 2025: Russian state media reported comment – supposedly made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz following the incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace on the previous day – that Germany would take action as a result – within minutes of the satirical site posting the total fiction. Oct. 9, 2025: reported that the widow of Alexei Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, was interviewed by the BBC after being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and was ahead of US President Donald Trump in the voting saying, “Now I am enemy number one not only for Putin but also for Trump.” Reading without questioning IStories blames the upsurge in social media for people losing the ability to question what they read despite the disclaimers these satirical websites always use to accompany their posts. It seems it’s even worse on uncontrolled sites such as X and Telegram where even the most outrageous assertions are seen as fact and conspiracy theories arise exponentially over the most mundane pronouncements. As an unnamed blogger commenting on the Merz story on Here’s my Yandex Wallet said: “It took just nine minutes for… about 15 reposts of the fabricated quote [to appear], with no mention of its origin.’ He (or she) then added 20 minutes later: “The speed with which a joke made on Telegram [is repeated] is impressive, of course – but are you guys simply crazy [to believe them]?” So, just so there’s no doubt: The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.
