Search

5) The best question isn't a #question: "...so I quit." "Quit?" FBI negotiator Chris Voss calls this "#mirroring": repeat the last words, and they will keep going. It shows you're #listening, not waiting for your turn. #education #publicspeaking #trainer #TEDx #coach #warsaw

Russia’s war propaganda gets a soundtrack – how AI-generated songs reached global streaming platforms Russian war propaganda is no longer confined to television broadcasts, Telegram channels or political videos. A study by the Ukrainian threat-intelligence organisation Terrecon has identified 981 songs combining signs of AI generation with pro-Russian military narratives, distributed through an ecosystem that reaches YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and SoundCloud. The songs range from sentimental ballads to rock and heavy metal. Their recurring themes are familiar from conventional Russian wartime propaganda: the heroisation of Russian soldiers, romanticisation of the war, mobilisation, the “Russian world”, commemoration of fallen troops and attacks on Ukraine and its armed forces. Some contain derogatory or dehumanising references to Ukrainians. What is new is not necessarily the message, but the production and distribution model: generative AI allows propagandistic music to be produced rapidly, cheaply and in quantities that would previously have required musicians, studios and producers. Nearly 1,000 tracks identified Terrecon examined 3,725 tracks collected from YouTube, YouTube Music, SoundCloud and the AI music platform Suno. After manual review, researchers classified 981 as showing both indications of AI generation and pro-Russian war propaganda. In 681 tracks they identified 728 propaganda-related keywords or phrases. The largest category was the glorification of the Russian military, followed by romanticised treatment of Moscow’s so-called “special military operation”, mobilisation appeals, narratives about the “Russian world”, and the cult of fallen soldiers and the state. The reach was not merely theoretical. Listening or viewing statistics were available for 608 of the identified tracks; together they had accumulated 86.8 million plays and views, according to Terrecon. A smaller group of 13 high-performing songs accounted for more than 53 million YouTube views and more than 67 million when YouTube Music was included. Among the better-known examples is “Power of Artillery”, a Russian-language rock song praising artillery weapons that passed two million views on YouTube. Most of the tracks for which publication dates could be established appeared after 2024, broadly coinciding with the rapid expansion of consumer AI music generators such as Suno and Udio. That correlation does not prove that AI alone caused the increase, but it illustrates how drastically the economics of production have changed. A propaganda song for as little as $11 Terrecon also tested how difficult it would be to commission such material. Researchers approached 25 creators producing AI-assisted militaristic music; 15 agreed to take commissions. Prices ranged from approximately $11 to $330, while delivery times ranged from two hours to three days. According to Terrecon, some were prepared to produce highly aggressive anti-Ukrainian material, including content intended for audiences involving children from occupied Ukrainian territories. Some creators used Russian intermediary services that provided access to Western AI tools such as Suno and Udio despite restrictions. The researchers then tested several AI generators themselves. Across 40 prompts submitted to Suno, Udio, Mureka, Google Flow Music and ElevenLabs, 25 resulted in successful generations, while safeguards were circumvented in 15 cases. Terrecon reported that four of the five services tested produced Russian-language material containing wartime narratives, although technical problems prevented comparable testing on some systems. In one Udio experiment, the researchers said the model itself introduced more explicit violent language than had appeared in the original promp These tests do not demonstrate that the commercial platforms knowingly support Russian propaganda. They show something narrower: existing safeguards can be inconsistent when political messaging is packaged as music. From generation to Spotify The distribution experiment may be the most revealing part of Terrecon’s research. The team deliberately uploaded test tracks containing explicit hostile language to YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify and Deezer. Terrecon says none was blocked during the experiment. On SoundCloud, researchers used an account identifying its location as Moscow, disclosed the use of AI and added markers including references to the Russian military and the war. The platform accepted the upload and subsequently offered paid promotional and distribution tools. This does not prove that streaming recommendation systems systematically promote pro-war music. There is currently insufficient public evidence to make that claim. It does demonstrate that material can enter the same commercial distribution infrastructure as ordinary music and, once there, potentially benefit from playlists, searches, sharing and recommendation mechanisms available to other releases. That distinction is important. Propaganda no longer has to announce itself as political communication. On a streaming platform it can look like another song. Culture as a delivery mechanism Music has always been used in wartime propaganda. What generative AI changes is scale. Instead of investing heavily in a limited number of patriotic performers or officially commissioned productions, creators can generate variations across styles, audiences and emotional registers at very low cost. Terrecon found material ranging from war rock to sentimental songs and content styled for younger audiences. Some creators also experimented with cloned celebrity voices and stylistic imitation of established musicians. The format also offers a different relationship with the audience. A political video asks a viewer to consume an argument. Music can accompany commuting, exercise or entertainment and may be encountered outside explicitly political spaces. This does not automatically make it more persuasive, and Terrecon’s research does not establish measurable effects on political attitudes. It does, however, place wartime narratives inside a cultural environment where users may not initially perceive themselves as consuming political messaging. An ecosystem, not a proven Kremlin command structure The strongest evidence supports describing this as a growing AI-assisted pro-Russian propaganda-music ecosystem, not a single operation controlled from Moscow. Terrecon did not establish that the Russian government created, financed or coordinated all 981 tracks. Reporting on the study likewise notes that the extent of direct state involvement remains unclear. There is broader evidence that the Russian state finances cultural projects and digital content supporting the war, including through state-backed funding bodies. That context matters, but it does not allow individual songs in Terrecon’s dataset to be attributed to the Kremlin without additional evidence. The significance of the case lies elsewhere. AI has reduced the cost of producing ideological content, intermediaries can help creators access generation tools, and global platforms can provide distribution. The result is a pipeline in which wartime propaganda no longer has to resemble propaganda at all. It can simply appear in a playlist. Sources Terrecon / Ukrainska Pravda — Daria Verbytska on the research https://www.pravda.com.ua/columns/2026/10/05/8056229/ Suspilne Culture — detailed breakdown of Terrecon findings https://suspilne.media/culture/1417933-rosijsku-voennu-propagandu-maskuut-pid-anime-karaoke-ta-rok-doslidzenna-si-pisen-vid-terrecon/ The Insider — AI-generated Russian war propaganda music https://theins.ru/news/297839 Institute of Mass Information — summary of New York Times reporting https://imi.org.ua/en/news/doslidzhennya-rf-masovo-stvoryu%D1%94-propagandistski-pisni-za-dopomogoyu-shi The Bridge Media — AI-generated songs and Russian military propaganda https://thebridgemedia.com.ua/en/ai-generated-songs-russian-military-propaganda/ Center for Strategic Communication — cost and production of AI propaganda music https://spravdi.org/propaganda-za-11-yak-rosiya-shtampuye-shi-pisni-z-miljonamy-prosluhovuvan/ Times of India — AI-generated Russian war songs https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/ai-sings-russias-war-story-inside-the-rise-of-generative-songs-about-ukraine-conflict/articleshow/134650594.cms EU Council / EUR-Lex — Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32026D1351 Human Rights Watch — Russian state funding of digital and patriotic content https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/07/30/disrupted-throttled-and-blocked/state-censorship-control-and-increasing-isolation #DISINFORMED #Episode16 #Russia #Ukraine #RussianPropaganda #WarPropaganda #MusicPropaganda #AIMusic #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #GenerativeAI #SyntheticMedia #AIPropaganda #Disinformation #InformationWarfare #InfluenceOperations #CulturalPropaganda #DigitalInfluence #NarrativeManipulation #PropagandaMusic #StreamingPlatforms #Spotify #AppleMusic #YouTube #YouTubeMusic #Deezer #SoundCloud #Suno #Udio #RussianWorld #RusskiyMir #MilitaryPropaganda #WarNarratives #Mobilisation #AlgorithmicDistribution #RecommendationAlgorithms #MusicStreaming #PlatformManipulation #Terrecon #OSINT #MediaManipulation #WRLD

The EPP Group thanked workers’ representatives for what it described as an active and honest discussion at its Automotive Industry Summit. It said changes facing Europe’s car industry affected millions of jobs, families and people’s futures, and pledged to listen and act. https://t.co/30ivNE1qRw #AutomotiveIndustry #EPPGroup #JobSecurity #EU #DE

The author said the government had again failed workers and families in its Budget, arguing it had missed an opportunity to put ordinary Irish people first and make life more affordable. After listening to Sarah and others, the author said they would continue to advocate for them. https://t.co/UfPg7E2SBO #Budget2023 #WorkersRights #CostOfLiving #IE

Manufacturing remains vital, but services, AI, innovation and deeper regional integration will help sustain Asia's remarkable growth story. I enjoyed listening to this podcast with the IMF’s Krishna Srinivasan on Asia’s next growth chapter. https://t.co/pFJ3KxkC1K https://t.co/t895f2l2EG #AsiaGrowth #Innovation #AIEconomy #AS

From 800 🇪🇦 soldiers serving in 🇸🇰 to defence, technology, science, automotive & almost €4.6bn in trade. Numbers tell part of the story. People tell the rest. That is what diplomacy is about: knowing each other, listening & being there for each other when it matters. 2/3 https://t.co/zok4lHnIwe #Diplomacy #Trade #Defense #ES #SK

A Lisa cantou "SaWaDiKa" com os fãs e deixou com que eles escutassem seu EP durante o evento da Listening Party! 🥹 #LISAxSonyMusicThailand #LISA_ListeningEvent @sonymusicth @wearelloud https://t.co/oGBj17U18D #LISA #ListeningParty #Música

ARE YOU LISTENING YET?🪩 Harry Styles torna in Italia con due date al Circo Massimo! Pronti a ballare insieme quest'estate? 📆 7 e 8 agosto 2027 | Roma, Circo Massimo 🎫 Biglietti disponibili in vendita generale dalle 16.00 di lunedì 14 settembre su https://t.co/l09vmHUA1V https://t.co/QoST40gWsY #HarryStyles #Concerto #Roma

@AfD just showed what happens when people stop listening to Berlin and Brussels. 44.5% in Saxony-Anhalt. That’s not a protest anymore — that’s a mandate. Historic win. Congratulations to @UlrichSiegmund and @AfDFraktionLSA. Europe is waking up. 🇨🇿🤝🇩🇪 #AfD #SaxonyAnhalt #EuropeWakingUp #CZ #DE

The Noble Enemy: Why You Must Respect the Man You Fight Respect your enemies—and even be thankful. It isn’t weakness; it’s discipline and a mental edge that makes victory possible. Hatred costs you home-field advantage: it hijacks your attention, clarity, and preparation. Anger also misfires. It directs you, exhausting yourself to entertain others. It exposes you, making destruction your only goal so you forget what to preserve—and what the enemy is doing. Lastly, contempt blinds you: if you think you’re superior, you stop training, studying, and preparing, deciding the fight is won before it starts. In Heat, the cop and thief recognize they’re two sides of the same danger. They don’t become less dangerous; they see each other clearly—making the final confrontation tragic. In The Dark Knight, the Joker’s “You complete me” reflects a deeper truth: each gives the other purpose. The hero is defined partly by the villain he must face; the villain by the hero who provides something worthy to oppose. As Nietzsche suggests, be proud of your foes—not to concede, but to commit to discipline. Disrespect makes you stop training; contempt makes you stop scouting; hatred makes you stop listening. The worthier the foe, the worthier the man required to meet him. What you don’t understand, you can’t defeat.

Leftist “Empathy” Is Actually Narcissism Leftist “empathy” is often narcissism, not real compassion. Over the past decade, Western politics has debated whether empathy is the highest value—yet many policies justified in its name have produced serious unintended consequences: safe-supply programs, lenient bail, mass migration, identity-based social policy, and gender medicine for minors. Hannah Arendt helps explain why. In *On Revolution*, she contrasted the American Revolution’s focus on institutions and limits on power with the French Revolution’s “politics of pity,” an effort to eliminate suffering through political action. Robespierre’s compassion for the masses helped justify terror. Pity isn’t compassion: it creates a hierarchy between the person who pities and the person pitied. Once you claim to represent “the oppressed,” you can stop listening to real people. Much progressive “empathy” projects idealized versions of others, erasing cultural differences and treating disagreement as ignorance or prejudice. Adam Smith warned about the “man of system,” who thinks society can be rearranged like chess pieces, ignoring human wills. Dostoevsky argued abstract love is easy; loving real people is hard. Nietzsche described a morality that flatters weakness and condemns what rises above the herd, while Orwell questioned whether some socialist intellectuals truly loved workers or simply used them to vent resentment. Rob Henderson calls these “luxury beliefs”: status-providing ideas for elites that impose costs on those below them. The moral prestige is immediate; the damage unfolds over decades. So “suicidal narcissism” may fit better than “suicidal empathy”: projection, superiority, and power disguised as compassion.

What if, listening to this painful call, ALL those who say they care for Palestine, started to pay attention to: -grocery/pharmaceuticals they buy -insurance companies they use -their banks -their pension funds -their work or research partners.. And chose an #ApartheidFree life #Palestine #Boycott #ApartheidFree #PS #IL

Russia charges teenager for listening to a banned song using a VPN Banning teenagers from listening to music doesn't sound like winning. Russia is not winning. https://t.co/IJJUz5w7GY #Russia #VPN #FreeMusic #RU

Russia loved it when the Scorpions sang: "An August summer night / Soldiers passing by / Listening to the wind of change." The song has a new resonance 35 years later. But not as positive when it's Чёрный август #WindOfChange #Russia #BlackAugust #RU