In Ukraine, demonstrators are not amused. Ukrainian journalist Vitaly Sedyuk on December 8 interrupted Rossiya 24's live coverage from Independence Square to present the Russian channel—and star anchor, Dmitry Kiselyov—with an "Oscar" for broadcasting what he described as "nonsense and lies" about the mass protests.

"Here's an Oscar for your channel and for Dmitry Kiselyov, for nonsense and lies in live broadcast," Sedyuk mocked. "We love Russians, but not how you are covering this."

Rossiya 24's reporter, Artyom Kol, eventually succeeded in pushing Sedyuk out of the frame. Kol then proceeded to describe the crowd's chants of "Shame on you!" and "Tell the truth!" in Ukrainian as "propaganda" aimed at pressuring his channel into showing only positive coverage of the demonstrations.

Kiselyov, a top television personality who was tapped on December 9 to lead a new state-run media conglomerate, has been spearheading Russia's information campaign against the protests.

"What Kiselyov has been up to over the past two weeks is a piece of work," Melman says. "Yesterday, he descended into complete lies and manipulation. Even Soviet propagandists did not allow themselves such comments. He is really an extreme case; others do it in a more acceptable manner. Channel One is a little more subtle."

In a particularly vitriolic 20-minute report aired December 8 on the state-controlled Rossiya 1 channel, Kiselyov described Ukrainian opposition leader and world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko and his brother Vladimir as gay icons.

He went on to explain how demonstrators camped out on Independence Square survived on warm lard heated on burn barrels and used "ancient African military techniques" against police. He also accused them of depriving law-abiding Kiev residents of a proper Christmas by dismantling the giant artificial tree erected for the festive season. "The protesters barbarically dismembered the green beauty and used her to build barricades," Kiselyov said. "Under the slogan 'Ukraine is Europe,' life in central Kiev is becoming more and more archaic."

Just days before, Kiselyov had appeared in another television program in which he used footage from a Swedish children's series about bodily functions to disparage Europe and Ukraine's EU ambitions. He insisted that the children's program—which features an orchestra of backsides dressed in hats, glasses, and ties—showed "European values in all their glory" and charged that "early sex from the age of 9" was the norm in Sweden.

Kiselyov, however, doesn't hold a monopoly on bizarre coverage of the political turmoil in Ukraine. Rossiya 24 channel last week ran a whole segment in which weather forecaster Vadim Zavodchenkov blamed the demonstrations on the onset of winter, noting that the 2004 Orange Revolution also started at the time of year.