Yeah the tactic is to lie as much as they can to benefit themselves; if you call them out on it they act all offended and blame you for being russophobic or whatever suits their means at the moment, and use it as propaganda to paint “the west” as an stupid, prejudiced enemy. If you just let it happen, they laught at what a weak moron you are to allow yourself be fooled like that, and use it as propaganda to paint “the west” as a stupid, weak enemy