Jeff Monson is hard at work on his latest propaganda project.
The former UFC title challenger revealed during a recent interview with Russian media that he is almost done with his documentary on the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, parts of which are currently under the control of Russian separatist groups.
“The film is called ‘Eight Years Before.’ It’s actually going to be finished at the end of the month, Monson said in an interview with RIA Novosti that was posted on Telegram. “We’ve finished filming, we’re doing the editing, it’s almost finished, it’s two weeks away from being completely finished. The whole object of this film is to show people, the whole world forgot about the people of Donbass.”
Monson’s latest pro-Russia project comes in the wake of a recent reports that the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in Donbas are planning to hold referendums to join Russia. The separatist parliaments in the region have already passed laws allowing such votes to take place.
The moves come as Ukrainian forces attempt to push back against Russian troops and regain previously surrendered territory in eastern Ukraine. In the wake of the new offensive, Monson, who became a Russian citizen in 2018, doubled down on his support for Russia in the region.
“Everybody six months ago was saying, ‘Oh, Russia’s so bad, Russia’s invading Ukraine.’ “No, Russia came to save the people of Donbass. And people are like, ‘Where’s Donbass, where’s Donetsk?’ Nobody in the world, expect perhaps Russia, understood what was happening,” Monson said.
This is not the first time that Monson has regurgitated Kremlin disinformation regarding Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. In April, the All-Russia People’s Front—a political coalition started by Russian President Vladimir Putin—posted several videos featuring Monson parroting Kremlin talking points. These included claims that Russia was not interested in occupying Ukraine and that its only intention was to rid the country of fascism.
Monson has long been a useful propaganda tool for the Kremlin and its occupied states in eastern Ukraine. When widespread protests took place across Russia in 2017, Russian state television opted to distract viewers from potential dissent by shifting the focus to a combat sports gym in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Monson hosted an MMA masterclass to a group of small children while lamenting on how the people of Luhansk were the “victims of the government of Ukraine.”
Monson was also complimentary of Putin, whom he referred to as a man who “loves Russia and is doing everything to make Russia better, based on his vision.”
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