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BBC World Service


Looking at the world through the lens of its media. Think of us as your media detectives, helping you get past the propaganda and misinformation. The Global Jigsaw comes from BBC Monitoring, which tracks, deciphers and analyses news media in 100 languages.

We reach across multiple time zones, from China and India, to Iran, Africa and Latin America. 

We watch Russian state TV around the clock, giving unrivalled insight into the evolution of Kremlin propaganda. 

But propaganda is just part of the information space we inhabit. In its more extreme form, we focus on disinformation that aims to defame enemies, sway elections, and undermine democracy.

We have been monitoring jihadist media for nearly two decades, following the chatter from al-Qaeda and Islamic State group, gaining extraordinary knowledge about their aims, their ideological differences and allegiances. 

We watch the behaviour of Russia’s Putin, Iran’s Khamenei, Turkey’s Erdogan, China’s Xi Jinping, Hungary’s Orban and anyone else who might be challenging the established order, seeking to expand their global footprint or export their brand of ideology.  

At BBC Monitoring, we don’t just speak the language, we understand the narrative. So we can help you untangle the context and single out rhetoric from reality, deception from truth.


The Global Jigsaw

What would the potential loss of Syria naval and air bases mean for Russia? The fall of the Assad regime triggered the start of possibly the greatest reshaping of the Middle East in decades, throwing into uncertainty the fate of Russia’s military bases in the country, among many other things. Tartus and Hmeimim served as a springboard for Moscow’s foreign missions elsewhere. We assess their significance for the Kremlin’s strategic footprint in Africa, and explore the alternatives. 

Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Russia’s gateway to Africa in jeopardy

Decoding the Kremlin’s warspeak to understand the power of propaganda as a weapon of war. “Let’s cut dill”, “a pop of cotton”, “meat assault”: expressions the average foreigner might struggle to understand. We analyse Moscow’s military jargon; in part two of this mini-series, we’ll explore Kyiv’s answer to it. 

Producer: Kriszta Satori, Vitaly Shevchenko
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

The language of war: Russia

Kyiv’s answer to the Kremlin’s warspeak. In part one of this miniseries, we focused on Russia’s case, trying to see through Moscow’s war propaganda: its purpose and building blocks. In this episode, we turn to the Ukrainian side of this linguistic tug or war. Here we find that language itself is at the heart of this conflict, fuelling Ukraine’s “linguistic decolonisation”. 

Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

The language of war: Ukraine

Russia’s land grab playbook aimed at erasing local identity and Russifying “liberated” territories. Three years into the full scale invasion of Ukraine, we ask what life is like in areas under Russian control. Part one looks at “ripe for Russification” Crimea, which was annexed 11 years ago. Part two focuses on Moscow’s subsequent efforts to assert itself in the separatist East. And in part three we explore the Kremlin’s challenges in subjugating parts of the newly occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. As time passes, the uncertainty over the future of what Ukraine calls “temporarily occupied territories” grows bigger. 

Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Life in occupied Ukraine: Crimea

Russia’s land grab playbook aimed at erasing local identity and russifying “liberated” territories. Three years into the full scale invasion of Ukraine, we ask what life is like in areas under Russian control. Part two focuses on Moscow’s efforts to assert itself in the separatist east. 

Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Life in occupied Ukraine: Donbas

Russia’s land grab playbook aimed at erasing local identity and Russifying “liberated” territories. Three years into the full scale invasion of Ukraine, we ask what life is like in areas under Russian control. Part 1 looks at “ripe for Russification” Crimea, which was annexed 11 years ago. Part 2 focuses on Moscow’s subsequent efforts to assert itself in the separatist East. And in Part 3 we explore the Kremlin’s challenges in subjugating occupied parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. As time passes, the uncertainty over the future of what Ukraine calls “temporarily occupied territories” grows bigger. 

Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Life in occupied Ukraine: Kherson and Zaporizhzhia

What’s the story you are being told and why? We live in times of information wars, weaponised narratives, captured media, information spaces turned into halls of mirrors. How can we understand the world better and the agendas driving those narratives? We track and analyse media in up to 100 languages to show you the world through the eyes of its media - where powerful interests battle to influence your views. Think of us as your media detectives, lifting the language barrier so you get the bigger picture.

Welcome to... The Global Jigsaw

The Syrian militant leader wanted by the West, but who wants to be its friend. With a bounty on his head, Abu Mohammed al Jawlani spins his propaganda machine in the rebel stronghold of Idlib, wearing western suits and taking selfies with the locals. What’s behind his transformation?
Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.uk

A jihadi on a charm offensive

The heated vox pop debates going viral in Turkey. As the cost of living crisis bites, heated arguments play out in cities and online. The street-corner videos, watched by millions, debate everything from the price of cucumbers to sky-high rents. And they have become a powerful alternative to state-controlled media.

Talking politics on Turkey’s streets

The Communist Party weighs in on sexual politics, making noises about what it means to be a man. It says it needs to push back against foreign influences including K-pop and what it calls “sissy culture”. Where does that leave Chinese women - and feminism? And is there a connection with so-called Wolf Warrior diplomacy?
Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.uk

Producers: Lucy Bailey, Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg
Editor: Judy King
Main contributors: Tom Lam, Kerry Allen
Original music: Pete Cunningham
Sound engineer: John Boland

Masculinity with Chinese characteristics

The gradual dismantling of independent media in Russia, from the colour and vibrancy under Boris Yeltsin in the 90s, to the extreme crackdown under Vladimir Putin a quarter of a century later. The Global Jigsaw tracks the key milestones in the process that turned the media into a “barren landscape”. And we look into a new propaganda push targeting the youngest. 
Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.uk

Putin’s media marathon

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